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Armenians in Jerusalem keep traditions alive

Although the city’s Armenian community has faced pressure, residents are determined to preserve their unique presence.

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The convent that surrounds St James Cathedral remains off-limits to visitors without a local guide. Here, the colours of the Armenian flag hang overhead as members of the Armenian community cross the convent courtyard.
By Ryan Rodrick Beiler
Published On 25 Apr 2015

As the world marks the 1915 mass killings of Armenians amid international debate over whether the events constituted a “genocide”, Armenians in Jerusalem remain one of the city’s least visited communities.

Tourist maps of the Old City of Jerusalem are divided into four quarters: Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian. The divisions are a relatively recent innovation, originating in the 19th century. Armenians generally consider their community to be part of the Christian Quarter and have resisted attempts to divide them politically, including proposals to include the Armenian and Jewish Quarters on the Israeli side of a divided Jerusalem in final status agreements.

But while the Muslim, Jewish and Christian Quarters draw hordes of tourists to world-famous landmarks like the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Armenian Quarter’s most prominent site, St James Cathedral, is open only during short periods for worship services.

St James Cathedral and the convent are the centre of Armenian life in Jerusalem, where residents and clergy live side-by-side.
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Traditional guards, known as kawas, stand near the entrance of St James Cathedral near a sign indicating various forbidden activities. 'We have all the functional institutions a city would need inside the convent,' resident Apo Sahagian told Al Jazeera. 'But it's our own private space and I don't see why it should be open to the public.'
The silver dome of Our Lady of the Spasm Armenian Catholic Church and the golden Dome of the Rock rise over the Old City of Jerusalem. Armenians have lived in Jerusalem since the 4th century.
An Armenian Orthodox priest stands near the doorway of the St James convent.
Armenian Orthodox priests hold a mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Like other Eastern traditions, Armenian Orthodox worship is a full-sensory experience of glowing candles, billowing clouds of incense, a cappella singing by young seminarians, and an intricate choreography performed by priests clad either in richly ornamented vestments or distinctly peaked black hoods.
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During part of the Armenian Orthodox mass, the altar is hidden behind a curtain, emphasising the holiness of the ritual.
A chorus of seminarians sing as Armenian Orthodox clergy celebrate mass at St James Cathedral.
The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Nourhan Manougian, washes the feet of fellow clergy in St James Cathedral. The ritual commemorates when Jesus washed his disciples' feet after the Last Supper.
Armenian flags decorate the main street in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem as throngs of worshippers wait to attend a celebration.
Armenian worshippers awaiting the Holy Fire ceremony stand behind barriers and Israeli police in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Access to the church is controlled by Israeli authorities.
Worshippers hold candles lit during the Holy Fire ceremony in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. During the yearly ritual on the Saturday before Easter, the Greek Orthodox patriarch enters the shrine marking the tomb of Jesus with an unlit candle. Tradition holds that it is miraculously lit by the Holy Spirit and then passed from pilgrim to pilgrim.
An Armenian Orthodox seminarian walks in a procession during a special mass at St James Cathedral. Jerusalem Armenians, like Palestinians still living in the city, are designated 'permanent residents' by Israel, with more privileges than West Bank residents but lacking the full citizenship given to their Jewish neighbours.
Armenians face many of the same pressures that have encouraged Palestinians to leave Jerusalem. But like their Arab neighbours, those remaining in the holy city continue to pass on their traditions in order to preserve their unique and longstanding presence.