Jeries Facouseh is a life long resident of Bethlehem and a second generation Christian statue carver. Jeries' father, Issa Facouseh, began an olive wood carving business in 1958 named Fatima Olive Wood Works. His work ethic was to produce statues, Nativities and Crosses that were of the highest quality. He suceeded in that effort as he and his sons became known as the premier statue artisans of Bethlehem. Today the Facouseh name is known worldwide with their beautiful works of Christian and Catholic Christian art adorning fine homes and churches all over the world.
Jeries now runs the family business and continues in the tradition begun by his father. His home and workshop are on Manger Street in Bethlehem, about a 7 or 8 minute walk from the Church of Nativity. He
is a true artisan and every piece of work that is done in his olive wood workshop is treated as a work of fine art with a little bit of his heart in each piece. That can be attested to by the pictures of his work on our site. His statues, Crosses and Nativity sets are simply beyond compare. Jeries is changing the name of the family business to "Olivart" but you can rest assured that the quality remains the same.
Jeries and his lovely wife Meray have three wonderful sons, Jonathan, Andre and Mark. (Meray is also a wonderful cook as I can personally attest) Please know that when you buy any piece of work that he and his staff produces, that you have purchased a piece of the Holy Land, made by a Holy Land Christian and with a personal touch on each item. I count it an honor to call Jeries my friend.
There is something else about the work that comes out of Jeries' shop that touches my heart more than the craftsmanship. The work that is done is performed by the God given talent of Jeries and his team near the site where the Lord Jesus entered into this world. Most of the wood carving that is done in Bethlehem is made from Bethlehem area olive wood, but the wood that is used in his workshop is from the Galilee region, where the Lord spent the majority of His ministry. This wood posseses no mystical power, however, it grew out of the same ground that once was graced by the Son of God, the One who saved my soul and all others that have surrendered their life to Him. May these works of art glorify Him and be a blessing to every home that they grace.
Rev. Ricky Anderson / Owner / Holy Land Treasures USA
Issa Facouseh now lives in Spain but returns to his home in Bethlehem often. Issa does not relax much when he is back in Bethlehem though. He spends much of his time using his God given talent designing new works of art for the Olivart workshop to produce. As is evident with each statue, Nativity set and all products that are made by Olivart, his heart is in what he does. It is our goal here at Holy Land Treasures, through our partnership with Olivart to showcase these beautiful and heartfelt Christian works of art to the world. It is an honor to be associated with men such as Jeries and Issa, men that are not content with just being good at exercising their God given talent, but that aspire for greatness. If what we are doing is to glorify the Lord, nothing less will suffice. It is our prayer that each work of olive wood art that is offered on this site will be a true blessing to the recipient and pleasing to God our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
