Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem - The Patriarchate Complex

The Patriarchate Complex

The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is the home of the Brotherhood of the St. James, a monastic order of the Armenian Apostolic Church with about 60 members worldwide. Within the compound of the Patriarchate, also lie the private residences of 2,000-3,000 Armenian families.

This residential enclave was, at one time, the largest single compound that housed Armenian pilgrims, and represented the demographic and spiritual core of the newly established colony.

The compound of the Patriarchate, which enforces a strict curfew of 10 p.m. when the massive doors are closed and locked until the early morning, also houses the administrative offices and residences of the Patriarch and the clergy. It also comprises:

• The Cathedral of St. James
• The Church of the Archangels, the second major Armenian church in Jerusalem
• The Church of St. Toros, which is home to the precious illuminated Armenian manuscript collection, the second largest in the world (over 4,000).

Other branches of the Patriarchate located within the compound include:

• The "Theological Seminary" of the Patriarchate, a complex located a hundred yards from the entrance of the compound, a gift of the late Armenian-American philanthropists Alex Manoogian and his wife Marie Manoogian. Armenian youths from all over the world, including the United States and Armenia, come to study for the priesthood here, and after ordination, help infuse new blood into the ranks of Armenian clergy worldwide.
• The "Calouste Gulbenkian Library" of over 100,000 volumes, half in Armenian and the rest in English and half a dozen European languages. The library is named after its benefactor Calouste Gulbenkian.
• The "Edward and Helen Mardigian Museum of Armenian Art and Culture" housing historical and religious artifacts including precious rugs, Armenian coins and scraps of evidence of the presence at the site of the Tenth Legion of Rome. It is named after its benefactor Edward Mardigian
• "St. Tarkmanchatz School" (in Armenian Սուրբ Թարգմանչաց meaning School of Holy Translators), a leading co-educational private school and the only one that teaches Arabic, Armenian, English, and Hebrew.