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,

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 ...

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 Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

, 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, 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'' painting by Antoine-Jean Gros 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, 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 '' Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa'' painting by Antoine-Jean Gros.

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

References

External links

{{Armenian Churches TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas Nicholas TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas Nicholas 1st-millennium religious buildings and structures