The Cathedral of Saint James (, , or Saint Jacob's 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 around the ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in the

Armenian Quarter The Armenian Quarter (, ; , ''Harat al-Arman''; , ''Ha-Rova ha-Armeni'') is one of the four sectors of the walled Old City of Jerusalem. Located in the southwestern corner of the Old City, it can be accessed through the Zion Gate and Jaffa G ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, near the quarter's entry Zion Gate. The cathedral is dedicated to two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus:

James, son of Zebedee James the Great ( Koinē Greek: Ἰάκωβος, romanized: ''Iákōbos''; Aramaic: ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: ''Yaʿqōḇ''; died AD 44) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was the second of the apostles t ...

(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 The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James (, , ), is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Apostolic Church is officially recognised under Israel's confessional syste ...

, also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Saint James. In 1162, it was described as complete by John of Würzburg which Nurith Kenaan-Kedar uses to argue that it was built during the reign of

Queen Melisende Melisende ( 1105 – 11 September 1161) was the queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1152. She was the first female ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the first woman to hold a public office in the crusader kingdom. She was already legendary in he ...

Ornamentation

The ceiling is decorated hanging ceramic eggs made in

Kütahya Kütahya (; historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion; Ancient Greek, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk River, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the seat of Kütahya Province and Kütahya District. In 19 ...

. 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 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, is a fourth-century church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Old City of Jerusalem. The church is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchat ...

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

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

References

Bibliography

External links

* The website of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem {{Authority control Oriental Orthodox congregations established in the 12th century Armenian Apostolic cathedrals Oriental Orthodox cathedrals in Asia Armenian Apostolic churches in Jerusalem Cathedrals in Jerusalem Church buildings with domes Tombs of apostles Cathedrals in Palestine Armenian Quarter

Ornamentation

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links