Saint Nicholas Monastery ( hy, Սուրբ Նիկողայոս Վանք Հայոց, he, מנזר ניקולאס הקדוש) is an Armenian monastery built in the first millennium AD. Located in

Old Jaffa Old Jaffa ( he, יפו העתיקה afa ha'atiká– Ancient Yafo; ar, يافا العتيقه afa al.ʿatīqa– Ancient Jaffa or afa al.qadīma– Old Jaffa ) is a neighborhood of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel and the oldest part of Jaffa. A nei ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, near the harbour and facing the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, the monastery consists of a large multi-story complex that includes an Armenian church and living quarters. The monastery is under the jurisdiction of the

Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James ( hy, Առաքելական Աթոռ Սրբոց Յակովբեանց Յերուսաղեմ, , ) is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The ...

, which rents out parts of the complex for residential and commercial purposes. The monastery is the setting of the ''

Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa ''Bonaparte Visits the Plague Stricken in Jaffa'' (french: Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa) is an 1804 painting commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte and painted by Antoine-Jean Gros portraying an event during the French invasion of E ...

'' painting by

Antoine-Jean Gros Antoine-Jean Gros (; 16 March 177125 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects. He was given title of Baron Gros in 1824. Gros studied under Jacques-Louis David in Paris and began an independent artistic career during the French R ...

depicting

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

visiting his sick soldiers in the monastery's courtyard.

History

Founded before AD 1000, the monastery was named for

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

, the patron saint of

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

s. The church gave shelter to pilgrims and seamen looking for a rest on their journey for many centuries. In the 18th century, the monastery was expanded and fortified. During the

Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

, the French army requested the aid of the Armenian priests at the monastery. The clerics used their secret medicines to cure some of the soldiers.

personally thanked the Armenian patriarch and gifted him with his own tent and sword. His visit to the monastery was depicted in the ''

'' painting by

Gallery

Image:Entrance to the Church of St.Nicholas.jpg, The stone plaque at the entrance to the church gives information in four languages Image:View on the Church of St.Nicholas.jpg, The waterfront facade of the complex Image:Saint Nicholas monastery, Jaffa, Israel.jpg, The monastery courtyard situated at the upper floor level Image:The Cross-stones.jpg, The ''

khachkar A ''khachkar'', also known as a ''khatchkar'' or Armenian cross-stone ( hy, խաչքար, , խաչ xačʿ "cross" + քար kʿar "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, in ...

'' (lit. "cross-stone") in the courtyard File:Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa.jpg, ''

'', by

References

External links

{{Armenian Churches TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas

1st-millennium religious buildings and structures