{"id":8144,"date":"2025-10-24T07:28:58","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T07:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/?page_id=8144"},"modified":"2026-09-29T08:13:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:13:27","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/about-us\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8144\" class=\"elementor elementor-8144\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c77dd40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7c77dd40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49e865e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-gallery\" data-id=\"49e865e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" 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data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2><strong><br \/>The Christian Information Centre: A Legacy of Jerusalem<\/strong><\/h2><p>The Christian Information Center (CIC) is a living archive located at the historic Jaffa Gate. This landmark building serves as a profound microcosm of Jerusalem\u2019s multi-layered history, evolving through centuries of cultural and political change.<\/p><h2><strong>A Century of Transformation<\/strong><\/h2><p>The site\u2019s journey began with a historic transaction between a local Muslim family and <strong>Dr. Vahan Gaspar<\/strong>, an Armenian physician, documented under the official seal of the Ottoman Empire. For decades, the building served as a vital link to the outside world, housing the <strong>Royal Post Office of the Austrian Empire<\/strong> until 1917.<\/p><p>As the tides of history shifted, so did the building&#8217;s purpose:<\/p><ul><li><strong>1917\u20131940:<\/strong> It became a financial hub as the <strong>Bank of Rome;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>1940s:<\/strong> It transitioned into a social pillar as a <strong>Catholic club;<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Post-1948:<\/strong> Following regional upheavals, it provided refuge and lodging for families and workers contributing to the restoration of the city\u2019s most sacred shrines.<\/li><\/ul><h2><strong>The Franciscan Era &amp; Inception<\/strong><\/h2><p>In <strong>1964<\/strong>, the <strong>Custody of the Holy Land<\/strong> acquired the property. Between 1970 and 1971, a meticulous renovation led by <strong>Fr. Claudio Baratto<\/strong> and architect <strong>Mosh\u00e8 Lewckovitz<\/strong> transformed the space, raising ancient arches and repurposing hidden cisterns for modern use. The Christian Information Center was officially inaugurated in <strong>June 1973<\/strong>.<\/p><p><strong>The 21st Century Evolution: A Multimedia Journey<\/strong><\/p><p>Following the year 2000, the Center embarked on a transformative new phase of renovation. This visionary project culminated in a state-of-the-art <strong>multimedia vision and projection exhibit<\/strong>.<\/p><p>This immersive experience allows visitors to explore:<\/p><ul><li><strong>The Holy Sepulchre through the Ages:<\/strong> A sophisticated projection that tracks the history of the Holy Sepulchre in relation to the diverse historical periods of Jerusalem.<\/li><li><strong>Inauguration &amp; Access:<\/strong> Officially inaugurated in <strong>2023<\/strong>, the Center is now fully open to the public, providing a seamless blend of historic architecture and cutting-edge facilities.<\/li><\/ul><h2><strong>Annual Closure Calendar<\/strong><\/h2><p>The Center and offices are closed on major Christian Feasts, including:<\/p><ul><li><strong>January:<\/strong> 1st (New Year), 6th (Epiphany)<\/li><li><strong>May:<\/strong> 1st (St. Joseph)<\/li><li><strong>August\/October:<\/strong> 15th (Assumption), 4th (St. Francis)<\/li><li><strong>December:<\/strong> 25th\u201326th (Christmas)<\/li><li><strong>Note:<\/strong> Offices close early (12:00 PM) on <strong>December 24th and 31st<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Movable Feasts:<\/strong> Easter Triduum &amp; Easter Monday; Ascension of the Lord<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Christian Information Centre: A Legacy of Jerusalem The Christian Information Center (CIC) is a living archive located at the historic Jaffa Gate. This landmark building serves as a profound microcosm of Jerusalem\u2019s multi-layered history, evolving through centuries of cultural and political change. A Century of Transformation The site\u2019s journey began with a historic transaction [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8146,"parent":4007,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8144","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8144"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9992,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8144\/revisions\/9992"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.elementcore.co\/CICTS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}