Reports from Jerusalem

Abp. Sevan Gharibian Armenian priests, members of the Brotherhood of St James of Jerusalem, have cast their votes in favor of Archbishop Sevan Gharibian as their Patriarchate’s new Grand Sacristan, the second most important and prestigious position within the church after the patriarch. The move follows the election of the former Grand Sacristan, Archbishop Nourhan Manoogian, as the city’s 97th Armenian Patriarch. Born in 1940 in Beirut, Gharibian was ordained priest in 1968 and elevated to the rank of a prince of the church in 1988....

Abp. Nourhan Manougian Abp. Nourhan Manoogian received 18 out of 33 votes Abp. Aris Shirvanian received 15 out of 33 votes It is incumbent upon the Armenian Apostolic Church, including its pious clergy and lay leadership, and the faithful at large to rally around, support, and pray for the 97th Patriarch-Elect (Undryal Badriark) of the Brotherhood of St. James, His Eminence Abp. Nourhan Manoogian (Note: When he becomes “Hasdadyal Badriark” in 40 days, then we can accurately address him as “His Beatitude”)....

Queen Keran has regained her royal train and her glory. The first time I saw her, I could not even bring myself to touch her with my own hands. She looked so ineffably fragile and sacrosanct, I was terrified I would be committing a sacrilege. I could only gaze at her in wonder - an 800 year old masterpiece I had been one of the privileged few to have seen or examined close up....

The heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem have expressed grave concern over renewed moves by the Israeli authorities to tax Church buildings and properties. While previous such moves have ended in failure, the Israelis have not tried hard to mask their intention to persist in their efforts to impose an “arnona” (property tax) on properties owned by the various churches, including those which have been vacant for some time. In a statement issued here today, the “Heads of Churches of the Holy City of Jerusalem,” a loose conglomeration of the 13 Christian churches officially recognized by the Israeli State, warned of dire consequences that would ensue should Israel carry out its plans....

When the great historians, particularly Ormanian and Savalaniantz, set out to wrest from the obscure pages of the past the history of the Armenians of Jerusalem, one of the main objective they achieved was the establishment of chronologically ascertained points of reference. But despite the exhaustive tenor of their approach and perspective, their quills inevitably left some gaps in the narratives that have come down to us. We know when Armenians first trod the dust-blown roads of Jerusalem, back in the days of empire, when Tigranes II led a conquering army to Syria and the borders of Judea (circa 1st-2nd BCE)....

Although the Armenian connection with Jerusalem began some two centuries before the advent of Christianity, when the victorious armies of King Tigranes II swept across the land, extending an empire that encompassed much of the known world then, documentary evidence from that period is scant and fragmentary. Macarius Of Jerusalem Letters To The Armenians The armies had left behind colonies of Armenians whose numbers were constantly replenished and augmented over the years, but few, if any, of the records they must have kept over the years, have survived....

Steeped in a history that dates back a thousand years, and a tradition as old as time itself, St John’s eye hospital in Jerusalem is gearing up for further expansion in a bid to meet escalating demands for its services. Perched in lone majesty atop a hill in the East Jerusalem suburb of Sheikh Jarrah, which has been making turbulent headlines recently over property rights, the hospital stands as a beacon of hope to thousands of people across the Arab Israeli divide....

Strands of gold entwined with copper, wrapped in the folds of a towering wall, the scent of pines carried on the breeze at twilight, the sound of bells punctuating the slumber of tree and stone. Lying in proud solitude, its mountain air as clear as wine, its name scorching like the kiss of a seraph. We are looking down on the little town of Jerusalem, city of gold, of which the poets and troubadours never tire of singing - Israel’s Ofra Haza calls it “Yerushalaym shel zahav” (Jerusalem of Gold) and Lebanon’s Fayrouz “zahratul mada’en” (flower of the cities)....

JERUSALEM ODYSSEY - PART V JERUSALEM A gentle breeze has sprung up, cooling the ardor of the morning sun. Above me the cupola of the Dome of the Rock shimmers like a glorious beacon pointing at the sky, the golden tiles reflecting the aspirations and prayers of a thousand genuflecting worshippers. I am waiting for my guide, Abu Fadi, thoughtfully provided by Dr Yusuf Natsheh, of the Waqf, the Supreme Islamic Council....

A page from the Queen Keran gospel, 1272 The Israeli Ministry of Interior has rescinded its decision to deport two Armenian seminarians involved in a fracas with a Jewish youth who had spat on them. The two, who had been held over by the Israeli police, were set free “without any prior conditions” and allowed to return to the Armenian Patriarchate of St James, church sources said. The seminarians, Narek Hovannesian and David Harutunian, had arrived in Jerusalem only a year ago to enrol at the seminary of St James, built by the American Armenian philanthropist pair Alex and Mary Manoogian, and prepare for the priesthood....