Phase A of the Global House of Friendship and Hope offers visitors a foretaste of the themes that will find fuller expression in the future museum — while providing a transformative personal journey in its own right.
The visit opens with Assisi itself: its history, its Franciscan heritage, and above all the testimony of St. Francis — a model of openness to the other, whose spirit has made Assisi a city long associated with interreligious encounter. The Global House finds its home here as a further expression of that vocation.
From here, the journey unfolds across three themes. The first is friendship across religions. Some of the world’s most prominent faith leaders explore its different dimensions, offering a vision and an invitation to the practice of interreligious friendship.
The visitor is then invited to enter the space of the religious other through a special immersive installation — ‘Prayers in Hope’ — featuring four faiths in prayer, alongside one another on the walls of Jerusalem, turning to the one common heaven.
Saints and prayer form the third theme. A shared vision emerges, drawing inspiration from the prayers and lives of saints across traditions. This theme extends into the garden, where the visitor is invited to contemplate the testimony of the saints and take time to reflect — before or after entering the Global House’s highlight: the interfaith prayer immersive created by Massimiliano Siccardi, known to many through his celebrated Van Gogh experience.
The visitor enters a space inhabited by the texts, letters, prayers and songs of six faith traditions. The journey unfolds in dialogue with the famous prayer attributed to St. Francis — ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace’ — whose themes find echoes in the prayers of other faiths. A rich tapestry of inspiration across religious lines invites each visitor to cultivate their own experience of prayer and contemplation. The inner journey and the encounter with the other come together in a movement of beauty and self-transformation.
Welcome Area & Bookshop
The exhibition opens with a warm and welcoming space that brings together the reception area, bookshop, and introductory materials. Conceived as a place of orientation and encounter, it welcomes visitors as they begin their journey through the exhibition.
Introductory Wall
The introductory wall presents the exhibition’s central themes and outlines the organization of the exhibition path. It provides the conceptual framework through which the different sections can be understood, preparing visitors for the narrative and reflective journey ahead.
The ''Spirit of Assisi''
This intimate space is dedicated to the “Spirit of Assisi”—a vision of encounter among religions inspired by the example of Saint Francis of Assisi and his historic meeting with the Sultan. It invites visitors to reflect on a legacy of dialogue, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence that continues to resonate today.
Making Friends
Reflections and invitation to the practice of friendship across religions voiced by some of the world’s leading faith leader. A series of video collections explores the multiple dimensions, as well as the theory and practice, of interreligious friendship.
Praying Side by Side
This installation allows visitors to delve deeply into the prayers, sounds, and gestures of representatives of four faith traditions. Illustrating the principle of side-by-side prayer, it invites openness to the spiritual reality of the other and encourages the discovery of the common spiritual foundations that unite humanity.
Saints and the Testimony of Prayer
A graphic wall gathers short maxims and teachings on prayer from saints of six faith traditions. Their words speak across traditions, inspiring all to a life of prayer.
The Elijah Interfaith Institute
The first section of the veranda introduces the work of the Elijah Interfaith Institute. Through texts, images, and a specially crafted video presentation, visitors can explore some of the initiatives that have contributed to fostering dialogue and understanding among religious leaders and communities around the world.
The Global House of Faith and Hope
Texts and images trace the development of the Global House of Friendship and Hope project, illustrating its origins, evolution, and aspirations. The section concludes with an invitation to engage with and support the ongoing work of the initiative.
Garden of Saints
The Garden of Saints offers a space for silence, reflection, and prayer. Through a series of totems featuring the teachings of individual saints on prayer, visitors are invited to revisit the themes of the exhibition in an atmosphere of contemplation.
An Instrument of Your Peace by Massimiliano Siccardi
Created by Massimiliano Siccardi, creator of the acclaimed Van Gogh Experience, “An Instrument of Your Peace” is an immersive installation that weaves together prayers, music, voices, and moving images from different religious traditions in dialogue with the famous prayer bearing that name and attributed to St. Francis. This immersive experience is the highlight of a visit to the Global House. It is here that visitors can deepen their own experience through the artistic, emotional, and spiritual journey created by Siccardi.
