Theme

Location: Waterbury, Connecticut

Description: Worn-down miniature replica of Jerusalem

The Idea: Forgotten Venatori training ground in the catacombs

The Aspect: Bastard bastion of hope

The Face: Aramis – Eccentric action priest

Additional Notes:

After receiving a message from God in the 1950s, local attorney John Greco singlehandedly created the park as an homage to the Holy Land in Israel, fashioning miniature versions of Bethlehem and Jerusalem from chicken wire, plywood, fiberglass and plaster as well as adding dioramas of other key biblical locales. By the time he was done, he had created over 200 unique structures.

Holy Land USA officially closed in 1984. The park, left by Greco in his will to an order of nuns (the Religious Teachers Fillipini), is now closed to the public, but the curious — and vandals — still make pilgrimages. Most of the displays and exhibits are either crumbling or in complete ruins.