Saint Nicholas Monastery (, ) is an Armenian monastery built in the first millennium AD. Located in Old Jaffa,

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, 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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, 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 (, , ), is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Apostolic Church is officially recognised under Israel's confessional syste ...

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

depicting

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

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 (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 Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

, 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. While the term ''sailor'' ...

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 invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

, 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

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 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 ...

'' (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

References

External links

{{Armenian Churches TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

TelAviv-Jaffa Nicholas

1st-millennium religious buildings and structures