Grigor Paron-Ter ( hy, Գրիգոր Պարոն-Տեր), was the

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 ...

Patricarch of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. He reigned from 1613 to 1645. During his tenure, 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) ...

was in crisis, which also impacted the

Armenian people Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

and Armenian Jerusalem. Even before entering into religious service, Paron-Ter, a native of

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd� ...

in modern

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...

, had campaigned to eliminate the burdensome debts of the patriarchate. He was able to secure major contributions, not only from Van,

New Julfa New Julfa ( fa, نو جلفا – ''Now Jolfā'', – ''Jolfâ-ye Now''; hy, Նոր Ջուղա – ''Nor Jugha'') is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the Zayande River. Established and named after the ol ...

, and Aleppo but also from places such as

Urfa Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features ex ...

, and

Bitlis Bitlis ( hy, Բաղեշ '; ku, Bidlîs; ota, بتليس) is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The city is located at an elevation of 1,545 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis R ...

, virtually encouraging their competition to erase the debt. During his thirty-two-year patriarchal reign, Paron-Ter expanded the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, acquiring new properties, organizing pilgrimages and creating a spiritual atmosphere within the monastery. Almost half of the present residential quarters of the Armenian monastery of St. James in Jerusalem were built during his rule.

References

*Gerhard Krause, Gerhard Müller, Siegfried M. Schwertner, ''Theologische Realenzyklopädie.'' Walter de Gruyter, page 257. Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem 17th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops People from Ganja, Azerbaijan Armenians from the Ottoman Empire {{Armenia-reli-bio-stub