Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem
| Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem | |
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| Founder | The Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus |
| Independence | Apostolic Era |
| Recognition | Oriental Orthodox Church |
| Headquarters | Old City of Jerusalem |
| Territory | Israel, Palestinian Authority, and Jordan |
| Language | Armenian |
| Website | www |
The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Sts. James (Armenian: Առաքելական Աթոռ Սրբոց Յակովբեանց Յերուսաղեմ Aṙak’yelakan At’voṙ Srboc’ Yakovbeanc’ Yerusaġem, literally "Apostolic See of St. James in Jerusalem") is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Apostolic Church is officially recognised under Israel's confessional system, for the self-regulation of status issues, such as marriage and divorce.
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, served the Armenian Church as the Grand Sacristan and the Patriarchal Vicar of the Patriarchate, when he was elected as the 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem on January 24, 2013. Manougian succeeded Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, who died on October 12, 2012 after serving 22 years in the office. The Patriarch, along with a Synod of seven clergymen elected by the St. James Brotherhood, oversees the Patriarchate's operations.
As a result of the Genocide on Armenians by Turkey during World War I, survivors of the Armenian Genocide received shelter in the Armenian Convent in Jerusalem. The Armenian population of Jerusalem reached at that time 25,000 people. But political and economic instability in the region have reduced the Armenian population. Most Armenians in Jerusalem live in and around the Patriarchate at the Sts. James Monastery, which occupies most of the Armenian Quarter of the Old City. Apart from Jerusalem, there are Armenian Communities in Jaffa, Haifa and Nazareth, and in the Palestinian Territories.
The Jerusalem Armenian community uses the Julian calendar, unlike the rest of the Armenian Church which use the Gregorian calendar.
In 638, after Saint Sophronius died and the Greeks did not appoint another bishop for Jerusalem, the Armenian Apostolic Church began appointing its own bishops for Jerusalem. The office has continued, with some interruptions, down to this day. The Bishops were later elevated in stature and became Patriarchs. The Armenian Patriarch is independent and self-governing. The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem is therefore not under the ecclesiastic authority of the Catholicos of Armenia.
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Wikipedia