, order =
Franciscan Order
, established = 1560
, disestablished =
, mother =
, dedication =
Jesus as Saviour
, diocese =
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem ( la, Patriarchatus Latinus Hierosolymitanus) is the Latin Catholic ecclesiastical patriarchate in Jerusalem, officially seated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was originally established in 1099, wi ...
, churches =
, founder =
, abbot =
, prior =
, archbishop =
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
, bishop =
, archdeacon =
, people =
, status =
, functional_status =
, heritage_designation =
, designated_date =
, architect = Father
Raffaelle Cingolani
, style =
Mannerism-influenced
, groundbreaking =
, completed_date = 29 November 1885
, construction_cost =
, location =
Old City of Jerusalem
, map_type = Jerusalem
, coord =
, oscoor =
, remains =
, public_access =
, other_info =
The Monastery of Saint Saviour ( he, מנזר סן סלוודור) is a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...
located on 1 Saint Francis Street, east of the
New Gate
The New Gate ( ar, باب الجديد ''Bāb ij-Jdïd'') ( he, השער החדש ''HaSha'ar HeChadash'') is the newest of the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was built in 1889 to provide direct access between the Christian Quarter and th ...
in the
Old City of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. The site was purchased from the
Georgian Orthodox Church
The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...
in 1560 with permission of
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, and the monastery was constructed in stages. The church building was erected in 1885, with renovation in 1985. The site includes a
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
, an
organ workshop, a
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
and a
Catholic school.
History
The monastery was built in several stages on a site transferred to the
Franciscan Order from the
Georgian Orthodox Church
The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...
in 1558–59 by Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I ( ota, سليمان اول, Süleyman-ı Evvel; tr, I. Süleyman; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver ( ota, قانونى سلطان سليمان, Ḳ ...
.
Because the old church building was no longer considered sufficient for the needs of the parish, in 1850 Sultan
Abdülmecid I
Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...
granted the order permission to demolish the old church and build a new one in its place, under the condition that the new church be no larger than the old one.
Official support for the construction of the church was provided by Austro-Hungarian Emperor
Franz Joseph I
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
during his visit to Jerusalem in 1869. Originally, Franz Joseph I made his contribution on the condition that the church would be built according to the plans of his own architect. Although the leaders of the Franciscan order rejected this condition, he agreed to contribute about 60,000
francs
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
for the project. The construction took three years and was completed 29 November 1885.
The church's architect, Father
Raffaelle Cingolani from
Montecassiano
Montecassiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Macerata in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about north of Macerata.
The municipality of Montecassiano contains the ''frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly ...
, was inspired by the work of Italian architect
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola
Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola ( , , ; 1 October 15077 July 1573), often simply called Vignola, was one of the great Italian architects of 16th century Mannerism. His two great masterpieces are the Villa Farnese at Caprarola and the Jesuits' Churc ...
.
The church was built in the typical style of a
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...
. Unlike most church buildings built on an east–west axis with the
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...
and the altar in the east, Saint Saviour is built along a north–south axis. A
clock tower is located on the side of the church.
In 1932, two stories were added to the clock tower in honour of the 700th anniversary of the death of Saint
Anthony of Padua. In 1985, the church and monastery were renovated in honour of the 100th anniversary of its construction.
Over the years, a
Catholic school for boys and girls, a
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
and an
organ workshop were built on the monastery compound, and are still in operation today.
See also
*
Fathers of the Holy Sepulchre
References
Further reading
* Wager, Eliyahu: ''Illustrated Guide to Jerusalem'', The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. (1988), pp 105–106
*
{{Jerusalem Old City, state=collapsed
Franciscan monasteries in Jerusalem
Christian monasteries in the West Bank
Roman Catholic churches in Jerusalem
Christian Quarter