Visit the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land!
Discover a different D.C.! The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America has been named one of the Top 5 places most tourists miss when sightseeing in Washington, D.C. We invite you to take a break from the museums, monuments, and memorials and make a “pilgrimage” to the Franciscan Monastery to take in the beauty of our gardens, find peace in the Monastery church and among the replicas of Holy Land shrines, attend a concert or event, or learn about the Franciscans’ work in the Holy Land. This is a free attraction that is easily seen by foot, and it’s one of the best natural views in the district!
Enjoy the outdoors and God’s creation by walking the recreation trail through our century-old gardens with replicas of sacred shrines, roses and many native plants; you can also volunteer in our vegetable garden.
If you cannot visit the Monastery, we encourage you to take our virtual tour. Use our interactive map to see photos and videos from the inside of the church.
Take time away to hear God speaking to you during a personal retreat in one of our two hermitages.
The Franciscan Monastery has a range of meeting spaces with wifi and videoconferencing, as well as the beautiful event space, St. Francis Hall, which accommodates up to 250 people.
Guided Tours
Limited tours of the Monastery Church are available (based on docent availability). Tours include full-size replicas of the Mount Calvary and Holy Sepulchre shrines in Jerusalem, plus reproductions of the Nazareth Annunciation and Bethlehem Nativity grottos.
Tour Schedules:
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
- Sundays at 12 noon and 1:30 p.m.
(Monday and Thursday tours are suspended until further notice)
Tours must be booked online in advance and are limited to a maximum of 30 people. Walk-ins are welcome to join a scheduled tour if space is available.
For large groups over 30 persons, tours must be arranged at least 45 days in advance. Email your request to tours@myfranciscan.com
- Tour groups meet in the Tour Lobby. To get there, walk through the Main Gate of the Monastery and enter the door marked ‘Visitors Entrance’
- Tours last approximately 50 minutes
- A minimum of two or more visitors are required for tours of the lower church
- The lower church is only accessible by stairs. There are no elevators or ramps.
- Tours are free but donations are greatly appreciated to help support the work of the Franciscan Friars
Self-Guided Tours
Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the Upper Church and Gardens between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Mondays thru Saturdays. Brochures are available in the Tour Lobby. Please note that the catacombs and lower church are only accessible on the Guided tours.
Special Guided Tours
2025 MARIAN TOURS
This tour is called the Franciscan Crown Tour with Lourdes and is offered on Marian Feast days. The tour includes the Marian Chapel, Marian artwork and images in the Monastery Church and ends with a visit to the replica of Lourdes in the lower garden. (Marian Tours are not offered if the feast day falls on a Sunday.) This tour does not include the replica of the catacombs.
These Special Tours are by reservation only and will be held at 1 p.m. on the following dates:
February 11 (Tuesday) – Our Lady of Lourdes
March 25 (Tuesday) – The Annunciation
May 13 (Tuesday) – Our Lady of Fatima
May 31 (Saturday) – Visitation
June 9 (Monday) – The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
June 28 (Saturday) – The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
July 16 (Wednesday) – Our Lady of Mount Carmel
August 15 (Friday) – The Assumption
August 22 (Friday) – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 8 (Monday) – Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 12 (Friday) – The Most Holy Name of Mary
September 15 (Monday) – Our Lady of Sorrows (Seven Sorrows Tour)
October 7 (Tuesday) – Our Lady of the Rosary
November 21 (Friday) – Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reservations will open 60 days prior to each tour date.
MAKE A TOUR RESERVATION
For questions regarding tours, call 202-526-6800 or email tours@myfranciscan.com.
NOTE FOR VISITORS: The Franciscan Monastery is a national, religious shrine. Please be respectful while in the church and the gardens. Eating and drinking are prohibited in church. Cell phones must be silenced, put on vibrate or turned off. Photography for personal use is allowed. Commercial/Professional photography and videography are not permitted in the Monastery and the Gardens. Please always keep personal belongings with you. The Monastery is not responsible for lost or stolen property.
NEARBY POINTS OF INTEREST:
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Garden Tours
Docents from our volunteer Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild offer free tours of the gardens on Saturdays from April to September.
You will learn about the history, architecture, plants and friars as you explore the formal upper garden, more natural lower garden and the vegetable garden and bee apiaries behind the monastery.
Tour Times
Franciscan Monastery Garden Tours will be held Saturdays, 11 am and 12 noon, April 6- September 28, 2024. Meet at the Visitor’s Entrance.
Group tours are available on request. Contact Pat Cunniff, Franciscan Monastery Garden Guild, 301- 927-7312, for further information.
Viewing Hours
Gardens are open daily to the public.
9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
We would love for you to visit, but go ahead and start with our virtual tour!
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is one of Washington, D.C.’s hidden treasures. It stands as an Oasis of Peace in the middle of bustling Washington. It is at once a house of worship, an architectural marvel and a sprawling expanse of gardens.
If you cannot visit the Monastery, we encourage you to take our virtual tour. Use our interactive map to see photos and videos from the inside of the church.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tours are free but a donation is greatly appreciated to support the work of the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Land. Cash, or checks made payable to ‘Franciscan Monastery USA’, may be deposited in the Tour Donation box located in the hallway between the Concierge desk and the Tour Lobby.
The monastery church is handicapped accessible. However, the lower church can only be accessed via stairs. There are more than 20 steps descending, several in the lower church, and at least 20 ascending.
Tours in Spanish are currently unavailable.
The Monastery has ample free parking in our visitor lot across the street from the Main Gate. Buses must park on the street in front of the Monastery. The Security Guard will direct your bus driver where to park.
Respectful dress is required for the church. For summer, no short shorts or other inappropriate clothing is permitted.
You may take photos for personal use in church and during the tours. Tripods are not allowed. When taking photos during tours, you may not disturb the tour guide or other visitors. Professional/Commercial photos or videos are not permitted in the church or on the Monastery grounds.
Tours are mostly given by trained volunteer staff. Franciscan friars may occasionally fill in for staff depending on their availability.
The CUA/Brookland Metro stop on the Red Line is several blocks away. There is also a bus from the metro stop to 14th and Quincy Streets NE. Note that the bus numbers and schedules will change on June 29th, 2025. You can check for updates at Metro’s New Bus Network Is Coming June 29-2025 | WMATA.
The maximum number of people allowed on a guided tour is 30. This is for safety reasons in the lower church and to ensure that tours are manageable for the docent and visitors.
All tours must be given by the Tour Guides at the Monastery.
Since the tour requires a certain pace to be accomplished within the time frame allowed, it is not possible to stop and pray for long periods in the lower church. However, you are encouraged to offer short prayers at each shrine along the way, and to remain in a prayerful attitude during the entire visit.
The Monastery does not have a cafeteria. Groups are welcome to bring their own lunches and can eat outside in Angel Park, weather permitting. There are also meeting rooms at the Monastery that can be rented for a nominal charge for your group to eat lunch. Contact tours@myfranciscan.com
You can have a picnic in Angel Park which is just across the street from the Monastery and adjacent to the Visitor Parking Lot. This is a large area with picnic tables that can seat up to 42 people. The site can be reserved for a free will offering. To reserve for groups of 10 or more, please contact tours@myfranciscan.com
There are several restaurants open for lunch nearby including the establishments listed below. Check the individual websites for menu, prices and other details. Do a Google search for ‘Brookland DC Restaurants’ to view additional eateries in the area:
San Antonio Bar and Grill. 3908 12th Street NE, 202-832-8080. http://www.sabarandgrill.com/
Busboys and Poets. 625 Monroe St NE, 301-779-2787. https://www.busboysandpoets.com/
There are no hotels near the Monastery. However, there are many hotels less than 4 miles away in the downtown area, in nearby College Park, and close to the Red Line metro stops.
The church closes at 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, the church closes after the 5:30 p.m. St. Anthony Mass and Novena and on Saturday after the 5:00 p.m. Vigil Mass. The gardens close at 4:45 p.m. daily.
The gardens close at 4:45 p.m.
The Franciscan Monastery does not have guest accommodations. We encourage visitors to stay at area hotels downtown, in College Park or, by Metro, downtown Silver Spring.
Rooms are available in our friary for priests and male consecrated religious who are studying at CUA and other religious schools of higher learning. Please contact us at mail@myfranciscan.com for details.
Our on-site hermitage is intended solely for use as a spiritual solace and reconnecting with God. Use of the lodgings for the sole purpose of accommodations is not in keeping with this purpose and mission and is not permitted.
If you are seeking a personal retreat experience, you can learn more about the hermitage here , or contact us at hermitage@myfranciscan.com