When art, liturgy and contemplation are intertwined, not only is a space inaugurated, but an experience is proposed. The Sala de Pentecostés, recently opened openat the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem does not seek to decorate a biblical passage, but to make it present. What happens when a pictorial work pretends to represent not twelve, but one hundred and twenty people marked by the same Spirit? And what meaning does a story of unity and mission take on today in the midst of a fragmented city? The inauguration, the pastoral message, the artistic proposal and the spiritual horizon of this room make up a story that continues to take shape in those who decide to enter. and visit.
Inaugural ceremony in the Holy Land
On June 7, 2025, the Pontifical Institute Notre Dame of Jerusalem The inauguration of the new building was a moment of special spiritual significance. Pentecost Room. The event, long awaited by the community, was held in the context of the Pentecost festivities, after a preparation process involving local faithful, religious communities and diplomats.
The room houses a monumental work: 119 life-size figures painted in oil on canvas, created by Chilean artist Daniel Cariola. The scene vividly depicts the account in chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles, when the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples. The space, charged with color and movement, invites silent contemplation, evoking the transforming presence of the Spirit.
Between May 31 and June 7, the hall hosted a novena to the Holy Spirit. Each evening, members of the Center Notre Dame, Church movements, families and religious congregations gathered to pray, sing and meditate. Thanks to the live transmissions, thousands of people around the world were able to join virtually, remembering that the Church born at Pentecost is universal.
On the eve of Pentecost, June 7, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over a liturgy of the Word and blessed the new hall. He was accompanied by Bishop Emeritus Antonio Marcuzzo, P, the P. Francesco Patton, Custodian of the Holy Land, biatperpetrators of the project, the legionaries of Christ to whom the Holy See has entrusted the center. Notre Give me, consecrated members of Regnum Christi and numerous members of the local community.
Ecclesial perspective and Patriarch's message
Due to the large number of attendees, many of them were had to The event was broadcast live from the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace. After the blessing, those present shared a fraternal moment in the foyer, followed by a vigil organized by the Union of Women Religious in the Holy Land and culminated with the Vigil Mass of Pentecost.
During his homily, the Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa emphasized the importance of the Holy Spirit in Christian life. He recalled that Pentecost is inseparable from Easter and essential to understand the Christian faith as a living experience. «We cannot fully understand Easter without Pentecost», he said. He stressed that the Spirit of God, which in other times was a force to conquer, today is a force to conquer. «comfort, life and unity».
The Cardenal emphasized that Pentecost is not an isolated moment, but the beginning of a communitarian dimension in the history of salvation. «The Spirit is no longer only for chosen individuals, but descends upon a whole community: the Church. It is a birth», he said. He also recalled the fundamental role of Jerusalem as a place of origin and as a current reference for dialogue and mission.
In the face of the global context marked by tensions, the Patriarch invited those present - and to those who will continue to visit the room - to be led by the Spirit Holy as a source of reconciliation. «Where there is love, sacrifice and consolation, there is the Spirit. We must not shut ourselves up out of fear. Fear is the child of the devil. We are children of love», he concluded.
The artistic dimension: a work of art that invites the contemplation
The visual and spiritual experience of the Pentecost Room has an origin of its own. very care as its resultor final. Behind its 119 moving figures is the hand and the heart. by Chilean painter Daniel Cariola, recognized in the Holy Land for his work «Encounter» in Magdala. With more than thirty years dedicated to the fine arts, Daniel Cariola began preparing this project in 2016, moved by a proposal from P. Juan María Solana, L.C. which, more than an artistic commission, was shared as a dream: to represent the birth of the Church in a great, involving, deeply biblical and human work.
Far from a simple figurative interpretation, Daniel Cariola's process was also a theological and symbolic search. After varihe discussions with the P. Juan María Solana, L.C. concluded that they should not limit themselves to the twelve apostles, but portray the fullness of the group mentioned in Acts 1: some 120 people, including the Virgin Mary and significant figures such as Nicodemus. This approach demanded not only a more complex composition, but a reflection on what that number represents: an expanding people, a new beginning in community, a kingdom in germination.
Daniel Cariola took his research to the corners of Jerusalem, walking the streets with his wife, photographing stones, fabrics, structures and daily gestures. All that he collected nourished the creation of a mural where each character appears in action, in dialogue with the others, within an atmosphere charged with tension and light. The pandemic of COVID interrupted part of the work, which was prolonged beyond the planned deadlines, but the artist continued painting with patience, assuming the work as a spiritual process that implied sacrifice, discernment and perseverance.
The Hall of Pentecost is full of symbolism that invites contemplation. The Church is represented as a girl dressed in white, young and purified, while St. Peter dominates one of the main walls, arms raised, floating mantle and the book of the prophet Joel in his hands, citing the promise that day was fulfilled. In the center, an unnamed figure puts at the center the Christological heart of the scene: Christ the reconciler, the union of peoples, who receives and distributes the power of the Spirit. Holy. For Daniel Cariola, the work seeks to ignite more than admiration; it wants to awaken an inner response, a desire to remember what is essential.
Liturgical celebration and participation of the faithful
On Sunday, June 8, the Solemnity of Pentecost, Msgr.. William Shomali, the Vicar General of the Latin Patriarchate, presided over the mya in the cOur Lady of Peace Chapel. During the mass, a child received his prst comunion, something that also represented the image of the continuity of faith through the generations. A plaque was also unveiled in appreciation of the biatperpetrators who made the room possible.
That same day, hundreds of pilgrims and visitors toured the pictorial work for the first time, guided by a new audio system in English, Arabic and Spanish. For Daniel Cariola, the ultimate goal is that the visitor is not left with an aesthetic impression, but that he or she encounters the underlying message: the good that Christ came to do, the fire of the Spirit that purifies and the call to a new life. «This image is meant to remind us of that essential element», he said. «Hopefully people will take it as a blessing.».
Lhe work not only represents an event of the past, but also summons us to the present: to enter into it, to allow ourselves to be questioned, to recognize that Pentecost is still happening today. As the Card. Pierbattista Pizzaballa: «What happened 2,000 years ago is still happening now. And we are witnessing it with our lives».
Future projection and opening to the public
The Pentecost Room will remain open exclusively for guests of the Center. Notre Give me up to 1° September. As of that date, it will be fully integrated into lor what is known as Notre Give me Experience, allowing access to the general public. Those who cross its doors will find not only an artistic work, but a space where the spiritual experience continues to live.
In a city marked by history, memory and faith, the Pentecost Hall stands as a reminder that the Spirit continues to his work, and that the call to go out to meet the other remains valid. The message of the room, as that of the first Pentecost, indicates that life in the Spirit Santa is also here.
Image credit: Notre Dame of Jerusalem & Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
