Holy Face Monastery
Located at 1697 NJ-3, Clifton, NJ 07013, the monastery was dedicated on December 20, 1953 on a hill in Clifton that was once considered an eyesore. The land was purchased from an Italian physician and surgeon and named by Venerable Hildebrand Gregori, the Abbot General of the Congregation, who was devoted to the Face of Jesus and the face on the Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be Christ's burial covering. Holy Face Monastery belongs to the “Order of St. Benedict of Montefano”, now called the Sylvestrine Congregation, O.S.B. This family of Benedictine monks was founded in Italy in 1231 by St. Sylvester Guzzolini, who hailed from the town of Osimo in central Italy.
The monastery has a life-sized replica of the Holy Shroud of Turin that was commissioned by Abbot Gregori and blessed by Pope Pius XII. The replica has been displayed in the monastery chapel since 1955.
Life-sized replica of the Holy Shroud of Turin.
Altar and mosaic showing artists rendition of the face on the shroud.
The monastery has multiple shrines, including the original temporary shrine built in 1954 and the permanent shrine named “Our Lady of Tears” built in 1961.
A major relic, a rib taken from St. Sylvester's tomb in 1968, can be found in the sanctuary near the entrance to the chapel's sacristy.
360 Views
Text sources:
Schumacher, U. Michael. “At Clifton Monastery, Peace and Picnics.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 July 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/07/25/nyregion/at-clifton-monastery-peace-and-picnics.html.
“Our History - Holy Face Monastery - Clifton, NJ.” Holy Face Monastery - Our History, holyfacemonastery.com/our-history. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.