The Cathedral of Saint James ( hy, Սրբոց Յակոբեանց Վանք Հայոց, he, קתדרלת יעקב הקדוש, ar, كتدرائية القديس جيمس, or Saints Jacobs Armenian Cathedral) is a 12th-century
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
in the
Armenian Quarter
The Armenian Quarter ( ar, حارة الأرمن, ''Harat al-Arman''; he, הרובע הארמני, ''Ha-Rova ha-Armeni''; hy, Հայոց թաղ, ) is one of the four sectors of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Located in the southwestern cor ...
of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, near the quarter's entry
Zion Gate
Zion Gate ( he, שער ציון, ''Sha'ar Zion'', ar, باب صهيون, ''Bab Sahyun''), also known in Arabic as Bab Harat al-Yahud ("Jewish Quarter Gate") or Bab an-Nabi Dawud ("Prophet David Gate"), is one of the seven historic Gates of the Ol ...
. The cathedral is dedicated to two of the
Twelve Apostles of Jesus:
James, son of Zebedee
James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...
(James the Greater) and
James the brother of Jesus (James the Just). It is located near the
Church of the Holy Archangels.
It is the principal church of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James.
In 1162, it was described as complete by
John of Würzburg
John of Würzburg (Latin ''Johannes Herbipolensis'') was a German priest who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the 1160s and wrote a book describing the Christian holy places, the ''Descriptio terrae sanctae'' (Description of the Holy Land). ...
which Nurith Kenaan-Kedar uses to argue that it was built during the reign of
Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem.
Ornamentation
The ceiling is decorated hanging ceramic eggs made in
Kütahya.
More ceramics from Kütahya appear in the form of tiles in the Chapel of Etchmiadzin.
Originally destined for a 1719 attempt to repair the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre they ended up in the Cathedral of Saint James after the plan fell through.
Gallery
File:Cathedral of St. James.JPG, The entry gate to the Armenian Quarter
File:AQ IMG 4908.JPG, Entrance of the Cathedral
File:Entrance to the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.jpg, Closeup of metalwork at the entrance
File:Cathedral of St. James.jpg, Arches and dome from the inside
File:Inside St James Armenian Cathedral in Jerusalem.jpg, Another view of the interior
File:AQ IMG 4909.JPG, Epitaph and mural at the tomb of Patriarch Abraham, since 1192
File:Altar in Cathedral of St. James.jpg, Altar in Cathedral of St. James (1996)
File:St James Jerusalem.jpg, St James Cathedral 1948
File:Stonework at the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.jpg
File:Stonework at the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem 2.jpg, A khachkar
File:Stonework at the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem 3.jpg, Another khachkar
File:Stonework at the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem 4.jpg
File:Stonework at the Cathedral of Saint James in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem 5.jpg, An ''Amenaprkitch''-style khachkar
File:Armenian_Priests.jpg
See also
*
List of Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem
*
Hethum II, King of Armenia
Hethum II ( hy, Հեթում Բ; 1266– November 17, 1307), also known by several other romanizations, was king of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, ruling from 1289 to 1293, 1295 to 1296 and 1299 to 1303, while Armenia was a subject state of the M ...
References
Bibliography
Armenian Patriarchate: official website
Further reading
*
* (Pringle, 2007, pp
168182)
External links
* The website of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusale
Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 12th century
Armenian Apostolic cathedrals in Israel
Armenian Apostolic cathedrals in the State of Palestine
Armenian Apostolic churches in Jerusalem
Cathedrals in Jerusalem
Church buildings with domes
Tombs of apostles
Cathedrals in the State of Palestine
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