Franciscan Monastery

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Useful Information

Location:	1400 Quincy St NE, Washington, DC 20017. Northeastern Washington, DC. Via North Capital to Michigan Ave., NE, then right turn on Quincy St. (38.937480, -76.985220)
Open:	All year daily 10-15. Guided tours hourly on the hour, Sundays only in the afternoon. Online booking 48 h in advance mandatory. [2023]
Fee:	free. [2023]
Classification:	Subterranea Museums
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=50 min, Max=30, Min=2.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, 1400 Quincy St. NE, Washington DC 20017, Tel: +1-202-526-6800. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1899	Reverend Father Godfrey Schilling started building.

Description

Reverend Father Godfrey Schilling tried to provide a place in the United States for people who do not have the time, money or good health to visit the Christian sights of old Europe. Beneath his church and monastery, in the garden, he reconstructed important shrines of the Holy Land and the catacombs of Rome. The reconstructions include:

the Grotto of Lourdes
the Grotto of the Nativity, Bethlehem
the Catacombs of Rome
the main church is patterned after Istanbul's Hagia Sophia
Christ's tomb
Holy Sepulchre shrine in Jerusalem
Nazareth Annunciation grotto

The garden is the main sight of the monastery Mount St. Sepulchre. It is noted for its wealth of flowers. The whole monastery is open for visitors and free, but for the inside of the buildings and the grottoes it is necessary to take a guided trip.