Next to the Jewish Quarter is the Armenian Quarter -- smallest section (SW) in the Old City. It includes the Citadel and our entire first Ramparts walk Amost all property there is owned by the Armenian Patriarchate. It is also the oldest section -- recognized by past Muslim, Christian & Jewish rulers, starting with Omar the Great (638-69 AD). Even before 1967, there were regular pilgrimages to more than 70 Holy Land churches & monasteries of their Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
The St. James Cathedral, monastery, seminary and related facilities occupy almost 1/2 the Armenian Quarter (300 acres). Under the 1852 "Status Quo" agreement, Armenians have proprietary rights to govern many Old City Holy Places, along with Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox.
Some captivating features included silver oil lamps suspended from a soaring vaulted dome, and tallow altar candles -- the only source of light.
There are two ornate thrones in the chancel beyond the wooden fence. On the left, with a canopy, is the symbolic throne of St. James -- brother of Christ and 1st Christian Bishop of Jerusalem. On the rt. is the current Patriarch's throne.
The front apse included many elaborate icons and cornices.
Also significant were 3 small chapels left of the entrance. The 3rd is a shrine perhaps containing the head of St. James the Apostle (brother of St. John), after he was executed by King Herod Agrippa about 44 AD. Also, St. James (the 1st Jerusalem Bishop) may be interred there.
On the wall outside the seminary was a large map & sign board showing the Armenian genocide perpetrated by Turks in the last two centuries -- mainly in 1915, during WW I. Was this the first true Holocaust?
The priest said the Ottoman Empire planned deliberate & systematic destruction of an entire Christian population in eastern Turkey -- because of its religion & wealth. Armenians were considered enemies of the state for supporting several 19th century reforms for greater equality and for siding with Russia in wars with Turkey (1877 & 1912-18 WW I). Over 1 million may have been exterminated. This map shows sites of massacres or death camps & forced-march routes.
The genocide started with the arrest and deportation of many notable Armenian intellectuals, artists and other successful persons on 24 April 1915.
Then entire villages were burned as "security risks," facilitating the disposition of corpses.
Other Armenians were poisoned, drowned at sea or hanged.
... and some creative recreational facilities.
A stroll through Mamilla Mall climaxed an interesting field trip. Marilyn can still turn heads -- even by this Orthodox Jew.
We learned much from this Jewish & Armenian Quarter excursion.
Entry points were Jaffa Gate (west wall) and Zion's Gate (south).
The St. James Cathedral, monastery, seminary and related facilities occupy almost 1/2 the Armenian Quarter (300 acres). Under the 1852 "Status Quo" agreement, Armenians have proprietary rights to govern many Old City Holy Places, along with Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox.
St. James Cathedral. Its modest exterior and doorways belied the ornate grandeur of the interior. Because of its thick (36") walls, it was a bomb shelter during the 1948 and 1967 wars. Despite thousands of shells on and around the Cathedral, there was not one casualty in this safe haven.
Some captivating features included silver oil lamps suspended from a soaring vaulted dome, and tallow altar candles -- the only source of light.
When we went on 8/29/11 (instead of TLV for Jordan visas), we saw and heard evening prayers with liturgical pre-Gregorian/pre-Byzantine chants by about 30 priests & seminary students (some will become priests). Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion (about 301 AD).
Ancient vivid blue and white tiles adorned many walls and columns.
There are two ornate thrones in the chancel beyond the wooden fence. On the left, with a canopy, is the symbolic throne of St. James -- brother of Christ and 1st Christian Bishop of Jerusalem. On the rt. is the current Patriarch's throne.
The front apse included many elaborate icons and cornices.
Also significant were 3 small chapels left of the entrance. The 3rd is a shrine perhaps containing the head of St. James the Apostle (brother of St. John), after he was executed by King Herod Agrippa about 44 AD. Also, St. James (the 1st Jerusalem Bishop) may be interred there.
Before leaving the Cathedral, we followed two Montreal Catholic archdiocese leaders to meet a very friendly Armenian priest and his archbishop.
The priest took us across the street to their theological seminary, established in 1975. Many Armenians study or work there as church functionaries. We later noticed that we had entered a very private area not seen by the general public.
Inside a lovely landscaped courtyard were 7 nicely sculpted free-standing stone crosses. Each represented a unique facet of the Armenian faith.
On the wall outside the seminary was a large map & sign board showing the Armenian genocide perpetrated by Turks in the last two centuries -- mainly in 1915, during WW I. Was this the first true Holocaust?
The priest said the Ottoman Empire planned deliberate & systematic destruction of an entire Christian population in eastern Turkey -- because of its religion & wealth. Armenians were considered enemies of the state for supporting several 19th century reforms for greater equality and for siding with Russia in wars with Turkey (1877 & 1912-18 WW I). Over 1 million may have been exterminated. This map shows sites of massacres or death camps & forced-march routes.
The genocide started with the arrest and deportation of many notable Armenian intellectuals, artists and other successful persons on 24 April 1915.
Then entire villages were burned as "security risks," facilitating the disposition of corpses.
Other Armenians were poisoned, drowned at sea or hanged.
Brutal death marches across Syrian deserts and mass starvation were part of the Armenian expulsion and diaspora.
Extermination camps & crematoriums were precedents to the Nazi holocaust.
After all this misery, Armenia again became an independent nation when the USSR dissolved in 1991. While still facing many challenges in a small but picturesque country, its population of 3 M (99% literacy) is undaunted.
Walking back down the street, we saw some beautiful Armenian tiles.
We also passed St. Mark's Syrian Convent & Church. This was built where the home of John Mark's mother may have been the 1st Christian meetingplace (destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD). If so, it may have been where Jesus appeared after resurrection, the apostles replaced Judas & received the Holy Ghost on Pentecost.
There are some unique doorways and alleys ...
... and some creative recreational facilities.
A stroll through Mamilla Mall climaxed an interesting field trip. Marilyn can still turn heads -- even by this Orthodox Jew.
We learned much from this Jewish & Armenian Quarter excursion.
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