The Cathedral of Saint James (Armenian: Saints Jacobs Armenian Cathedral) is a
12th-century Armenian church in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, near the
quarter's entry Zion Gate. It is located near the Church of the Holy
Archangels.
The cathedral is dedicated to two Christian saints: James, son of Zebedee
(James the Greater) (one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus) and James the
brother of Jesus (James the Just).
It is the principal church of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, also
known as the Armenian Patriarchate of Sts. James.
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Zion Gate.
Zion Gate, also known in Arabic as Bab Harat al-Yahud ("Jewish Quarter
Gate") or Bab an-Nabi Dawud ("Prophet David Gate"), is one of the seven
historic Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
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Zion Gate was built in July 1540, west of the location of the medieval
gate, which was a direct continuation of the Street of the Jews (also
known as the Cardo).
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See more at
Zion Gate - Wikipedia.
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Entry gate to the Armenian Quarter.
The Armenian Quarter is one of the four sectors of the walled Old City
of Jerusalem.
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Located in the southwestern corner of the Old City, it can be accessed
through the Zion Gate and Jaffa Gate.
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The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to the 4th century AD,
when Armenia adopted Christianity as a national religion and Armenian
monks settled in Jerusalem.
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Gradually, the quarter developed around the St. James Monastery —
which dominates the quarter — and took its modern shape by the 19th
century. The monastery houses the Armenian Apostolic Church's
Jerusalem Patriarchate, which was established as a diocese in the 7th
century AD.
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See more at
Armenian Quarter - Wikipedia.
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Khachkar in the cathedral entrance courtyard.
A khachkar or Armenian cross-stone is a carved, memorial stele
bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes,
interlaces, and botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of
medieval Christian Armenian art.
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The most common khachkar feature is a cross surmounting a rosette or a
solar disc. The remainder of the stone face is typically filled with
elaborate patterns of leaves, grapes, pomegranates, and bands of
interlace.
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Most early khachkars were erected for the salvation of the soul
of either a living or a deceased person. Otherwise they were intended
to commemorate a military victory, the construction of a church, or as
a form of protection from natural disasters.
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See more at
Khachkar - Wikipedia.
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Interior of the Cathedral of Saint James.
The ceiling is decorated hanging ceramic eggs made in Kütahya.
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More ceramics from Kütahya appear in the form of tiles in the Chapel
of Etchmiadzin. Originally destined for a 1719 attempt to repair the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, they ended up in the Cathedral of Saint
James after the plan fell through.
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Altar of the Cathedral of Saint James.
The interior, under a vaulted dome, offers a spectacle of gilded altars,
massive chandeliers, myriad lamps with ceramic eggs attached to them,
paintings, carved wood, inlaid mother-of-pearl, bronze engravings, and
blue and green wall tiles.
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The marble floor is usually covered with purple, green and red
carpets.
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Entrance to the Chapel of St James the Great.
According to Armenian tradition, within the church are buried the head
of St James the Great (the rest of his body is believed to be in the
Spanish pilgrimage shrine of Santiago de Compostela) and the body of St
James the Less.
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Chapel of St James the Great.
On the left side of the church, opposite one of the four square piers
supporting the vaulted ceiling, is its most important shrine, the small
Chapel of St James the Great.
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A piece of red marble in front of the altar marks the place where his
head is buried, on the reputed site of his beheading.
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The New Jerusalem.
The "Vitam Aeternam" motif was very popular in the Catholic world
throughout the 17th century. This oil painting version dates from the
17th century.
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The green and golden yellow stones of the city wall are particularly
impressive.
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As with its predecessors, each city gate is positioned with an angel.
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A new ingredient is the green river of life that feeds the city from
the heavenly realm and then runs through the city.
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In the middle you will find Mount Zion with the Lamb of God, which has
unfortunately been vandalized in the meantime.
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The oil painting is located in front of the left main pillar of St.
James's Cathedral in Jerusalem.
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The Armenian painter, who also copied other paintings for this church,
came from Egypt and called himself James.
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See more at
New Jerusalem, Christianity - Wikipedia.
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See also
Source
Location
