Another Once Upon a Time from Old Jerusalem,
This time – the Terra Santa building at French Square in a photo from 1933.
Located at the corner of Ben Maimon Boulevard (seen as the dirt road to the building’s right) and Keren Hayesod Street (to its left), the Terra Santa building forms part of what is now French Square, across from the Prima King’s Hotel.
The Terra Santa building, meaning ‘Holy Land’ in Latin, was inaugurated in 1927. Designed in a neo-classical style with Italian Renaissance influences, it was built for the San Paolo Association of Milan. The building, spanning 11 dunams, was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Berlucchi. Atop the structure rests the Madonnina – the small Madonna of Milan.
In 1928, a ceremony was held to unveil the building and its beloved statue, attended by none other than Italian heir apparent Prince Umberto II. But why would an Italian prince and the Madonna find their way to Jerusalem?
The Franciscan church had intended the building to serve as a center for social and athletic activities. However, after the nearby YMCA sports center opened – a topic we explored last week – the building lost its prestige and was transformed into a school for boys, offering both primary and secondary education.
Over the years, the school gained a reputation as one of the city’s finest, attracting students from affluent Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families seeking a quality European-style education. Jewish mothers, in particular, hoped their sons would go on to become doctors or lawyers.
In 1947, as attacks by the E’etzel and Lehi against British mandate representatives escalated, the British authorities declared the Terra Santa building part of a restricted security zone, closing the school.
When the British left and Israel was established, the Hebrew University leased the building as a temporary replacement for its Mount Scopus campus, which was no longer accessible. The building became home to the university’s administration, the Faculty of Humanities, and the National Library.
As time passed, the Hebrew University moved its faculties to the new campus in Givat Ram, leaving the Terra Santa building nearly abandoned. In the mid-90s, legal representatives of the Custodia di Terra Santa, the building’s owners, filed legal action to annul the lease agreements with the university. By June 1999, the agreements were dissolved.
Following this, the building underwent extensive renovations and now serves as a hostel for pilgrims. Situated just south of the building, at the corner of Balfour and Sokolov streets, is the Prime Minister’s residence. Occasionally, pilgrims, seeking a friendly gesture, ask their neighbors for coffee or a cup of sugar.
This is our Jerusalem –
a city where every stone tells a story and every building carries a weight of ongoing history. The Madonnina, standing watch atop the remarkable building, has witnessed decades of protests in French Square, heard the explosion of the Moment Café bombing on the nearby Ben Maimon Street, welcomed heads of state meeting with various prime ministers, and even observed the red-haired and the amateur dancer ,president of the world’s superpower and his wife arrive for dinner – just a small sampling of its history.
Today, the northern fence of the complex is used as a backrest by the families of the hostages, who set up and began their protest on October 8th, demanding the release of their loved ones, right outside the Prime Minister’s residence.
Less than a century after its inauguration by the charming Italian prince, the Terra Santa building has absorbed dramatic and pivotal events in history – enough to fill the history books for 1,000 years of nations far more tranquil than our own.
From a cultural and sports center to a school, a British security zone, a Hebrew University building, and now a hostel for pilgrims, the building’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
A Zionist Chad Gadya – if only the stones could speak…
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem to all, far and near.
May the hostages return soon, and may peace find its way to their families, our soldiers, and the families of those evacuated from the north.
May peace come to Kol Yisrael.
