Musee Bible et Terre Sainte museum in Paris
The Museum of the Bible and the Holy Land has a rich collection of objects from daily life in Palestine throughout the ages, with some 3000 different items and artefacts, which is run by the Catholic Institute of Paris.
About the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte
Canon Leconte and Father J Starcky first established the original collection of artefacts through their numerous acquisitions that they made during their time in Palestine, which is an area often referred to as the Holy Land, or in historical times Jerusalem.
In 1969, the Rector of the Catholic Institute of Paris, Bishop Haubtmann, welcomed the collection to this site, which is where it still remains today, and over the years there have been many donations that have been added to the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte, which is also sometimes known as the Musee Biblique.
The numerous donations have regularly enriched the collection that went from a few hundred items up to the current amount of around 3000, which are highlighted in the modern and harmonious framework of this small museum in Paris.
You will be able to discover many different artefacts from throughout the centuries such as a stone death mask that dates back to 7000BC, which is probably one of the oldest Neolithic masks in the world. There are also 1st century jars and stone tablets that are engraved with inscriptions.
Here at the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte, you can also see a fragment of a manuscript of the Dead Sea, an Egyptian papyrus from the Book of the Dead, antique oil lamps, along with ceramics and other items that date back to around 5000BC through to approximately 600AD, with many of these being found through archaeological digs.
Visiting the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte
You may be pleased to know that this museum is actually free of charge to everyone, however, it is only open during the academic period of a university in Paris, and even then, it is only open from 4pm through to 6pm on a Saturday.
In addition to this, you can only visit this museum by prior appointment, plus we would like to point out that it is closed throughout the whole of July, August and September, along with any days that the Saturday is on any of national French Holidays.
However, the Catholic Institute along with its church, the gardens and its museums in Paris are also open on the French Heritage Days that occur each year, which are normally held during a weekend in September, plus you may be pleased to know that the museum itself is partially accessible to those with reduced mobility.
But if you do happen to be on holiday in Paris when you can visit the Museum of the Bible and the Hole Land, it is located at the Catholic Institute in Paris in the 6th Arrondissement within walking distance of many different tourist attractions in Paris such as the fabulous Jardin du Luxembourg.
Access to the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte
You will find that the nearest Metro station are called the Rennes stop serving line 12 and the Saint-Placide stop serving line 4, which are both approximately 300 metres away, yet the nearest RER train station is on the opposite side of the Luxembourg Gardens called the Luxembourg stop serving the RER B line.
Alternatively, the Paris bus lines 39, 58, 68, 70, 82, 83, 84, 87, 89, 94, 95 and 96 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N01, N02, N12 and N13 will also get you reasonably close by and within walking distance of the Musee Bible et Terre Sainte museum.
