Holy Land USA is an

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...

, inspired by selected passages from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. It consists of a chapel, stations of the cross, and replicas of catacombs and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

ite villages constructed from cinder blocks, bathtubs, and other discarded materials. The park closed to the public in 1984 and fell into disrepair. On September 14, 2014, the site reopened to the public for the first time in 30 years with an inaugural Mass. The area is now open to the general public during daylight hours.

Creation and peak years

Holy Land USA was conceived by John Baptist Greco, a

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

-based attorney. Greco, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, founded a volunteer organization called Companions of Christ, with the purpose of creating an attraction that would replicate

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

and

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

of the Biblical era. Construction commenced in 1955. Bob Chinn, the grounds chairman at Holy Land USA, recalled Greco's mission in a 2001 interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'': "He was a very spiritual man. He wanted to do this for the people of the community. He felt no one, no matter the race, creed or color, should be separated. He wanted a place for all people to sit and be peaceful." Among the original attractions at the site were a recreation of the Garden of Eden, a diorama depicting Daniel in the lions' den, and various recreations of the life and ministry of Jesus. The centerpiece of the site was a

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

and an illuminated sign that read "Holy Land USA". During its peak years in the 1960s and 1970s, Holy Land USA attracted upwards of 40,000 visitors annually. Greco closed Holy Land USA in 1984 with plans to improve and expand the site, but the work was left unfinished when Greco died in 1986. The property was left to the

Filippini Sisters Filippini is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alberto Filippini (born 1987) Italian footballer * Alfredo Filippini (1924–2020) was an Italian sculptor, painter and illustrator. * André Filippini (1924–2013), Swiss ...

Closure and notable events

After its closure, Holy Land USA fell into a state of advanced disrepair, and many attractions and statues were vandalized. Although it was not open to the public, the site continued to attract attention. In 2002, the Waterbury Region Convention and Visitors Bureau received more than 150 calls asking for directions to the site. The website Roadside America included the park in coverage of offbeat attractions, albeit with the cautionary note that visitors should "explore with caution (and with an up-to-date tetanus shot)." There was ongoing debate about the site's future. It was suggested that the park be preserved as

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

, and there were numerous failed attempts to restore the park, including one involving the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

in 2000. The Religious Sisters of Filippi Greco were accused of fearing "liability and being sued" and thereby turning away volunteers and stopping restoration efforts, but they also received support from those who believed that, although accepting the park reluctantly, they had been "good stewards" over it. The Sisters held weekly prayer meetings at the site, and the holy hours on Sundays were devoted to the Virgin of Revelation, an apparition of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

witnessed in 1947 by an Italian on his way to assassinate Pope Pius XII in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. The Sisters claimed that the statue of the Madonna in the chapel is one of three commissioned by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Despite the lack of full restoration, some renovation projects were undertaken while the park was closed. In 1997 a group of Boy Scouts repaired the illuminated "Holy Land USA" sign as part of a community service project, and in 2008 the original 56-foot cross was replaced with a stainless steel one, which was dedicated in a ceremony led by Archbishop

Henry J. Mansell Henry Joseph Mansell (born October 10, 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from the fourth Archbishop of Hartford from 2004 to 2013. Mansell previous ...

. In response to community outcry a new LED illuminated cross was installed in 2013. The new cross, funded by community donations and with work donated by local construction companies, is a steel structure that stands 65 feet high and 26 feet wide. The state of the art LED lighting system allows the cross to change color based on the Roman Catholic Liturgical colors. On 11 August 2018, Archbishop

Leonard Paul Blair Leonard Paul Blair (born April 12, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut since December 16, 2013. Blair previously served as bishop of the Diocese of ...

of the Archdiocese of Hartford celebrated a Mass at the park honoring the legacy of Father Michael McGivney, who is under Vatican consideration for sainthood. McGivney was the founder of the

and a native of Waterbury.

Murder of Chloe Ottman

On the evening of July 15, 2010, 16-year-old Chloe Ottman was raped and murdered by 19-year-old Francisco Cruz at the park, at the site of the large, lit cross. Cruz was charged with capital felony, murder, sexual assault and strangulation. Ottman's family agreed to a plea offer and Cruz plead guilty on April 20, 2011. He was sentenced to 55 years in prison on June 17, 2011. Cruz is currently incarcerated at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Cheshire, New Haven County, Connecticut.

Revival

On June 20, 2013, Mayor Neil O'Leary and car dealer Fred "Fritz" Blasius purchased Holy Land from the Filippini Sisters for $350,000, announcing a plan to clean up and revitalise the site as part of a community effort. The plan included the installation of a new and larger lighted cross on the property. On December 22, 2013, the new cross was illuminated. Since the revival of the cross, the once-overgrown land has been cleared of trees and underbrush. Smaller projects have been put in place to refurbish small areas of the property. File:View of Holy Land, USA.jpg, View of miniature Jerusalem and/or Bethlehem, Holy Land, USA

References

External links