Tucked away on a leafy hill in Brookland, in Northeast Washington, the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America is one of the happiest surprises in the city: a free attraction of gardens, arcades and quiet paths that feels worlds away from the monuments downtown. The monastery’s own visitor page calls it one of the top five places most tourists miss when sightseeing in Washington — and invites everyone, of all faiths and ages, to make the trip.
The grounds are the star. Visitors stroll the Rosary Portico, an arched cloister walk that rings the upper gardens, wander among more than 1,000 roses, native trees and seasonal flower beds, and follow the paths down to the lower gardens, where full-size replicas of Holy Land shrines and a Lourdes grotto wait among the trees. It is an easy place to slow down, sit on a bench and simply enjoy the green.
Want a guide? Limited tours of the Monastery Church — about 50 minutes, booked online in advance — run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and Sundays at noon and 1:30 p.m., taking in the Mount Calvary and Holy Sepulchre shrines and the Nazareth and Bethlehem grottos. You can also bring your own lunch and picnic across the street in Angel Park. The Monastery is at 1400 Quincy Street NE, Washington, DC, and the gardens are waiting.
Photo: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
