The Franciscan Monastery--officially known as The Commissariat of the Holy Land--was built in 1899 atop a mound called Mount St. Sepulchre in the Brookland section of Washington, DC. It is at 14th and Quincy Sts., NE. Established by the Franciscans who keep the holy sites around Jerusalem, Israel, the monastery's purpose is to give visitors an idea of what these holy sites are like through replicas. The replicas also include Roman catacombs under the church and the Portiuncula (Everyone say "Port--zee--un--cyoola," not "portincula," not "portuncula") Chapel rebuilt by St. Francis. This site features postcards of the monastery from long ago, although the monastery has not changed that much over the decades. Next.

This site is neither an official site of, nor endorsed by The Franciscan Monastery. It is merely the work of someone who loves the place. --NJC