Cathedral of St. James description and photos - Israel: Jerusalem (Topic)

Cathedral of St. James description and photos - Israel: Jerusalem. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Cathedral of St. James.

Photo and description

Cathedral of St. James, the pearl of the Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is located just outside the main entrance to the Armenian quarter. The temple, considered one of the most magnificent in the Middle East, a tourist can visit only during the service, and even then not always. But those who are lucky will be impressed by the unusual beauty of the cathedral.

Strictly speaking, the temple is dedicated not to one Saint James, but to two - “the elder” and “the younger”. The elder is called the Apostle James Zebedee, the elder brother of the Evangelist John. Both brothers, nicknamed the "sons of thunder" (apparently because of their ardent disposition), are among the first disciples of Christ. James was present at the Transfiguration of Jesus along with Peter and John; the first of the twelve apostles to accept a martyr's death for faith - he was beheaded with a sword by King Herod Agrippa I. Jacob the Younger, "brother of the Lord" (most likely a cousin of Jesus), is the first bishop of Jerusalem, whom the Jews stoned to death.

The Armenian tradition believes that the Apostle James was beheaded at the place where the cathedral now stands, and that his head was buried under the northern wall of the temple, and the body of the younger Jacob under the altar.

The cathedral is 350 square meters and 18 meters high, it was built in the XII century and finished mainly in the XVIII century. The outer courtyard is already attracting attention - its walls are decorated with traditional Armenian works of art, khachkars (crosses carved in stone). The oldest of them dates back to the XII century.

In the courtyard behind an openwork lattice there are paintings depicting the Last Judgment, two Saints James, as well as Saints Thaddeus and Bartholomew, patrons of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Along the sides of the main entrance there are altars in the wall. They were used when Saladin, and then the Turks captured Jerusalem (the temple was closed at that time). A long wooden board hangs near the entrance. This beat - the gong on which the deacons beat with wooden mallets, calling the flock, when the Muslims banned the bell ringing. The tradition is still maintained.

The interior of the cathedral is amazing. Many icon lamps and ceramic Easter eggs hang from the height of the vaulted dome on chains. There is no electricity in the temple, only lamps, candles and domed windows illuminate a space typical of Armenian church architecture: three naves, separated by four rectangular columns. Remarkable altars (the main one is carved from precious wood and covered with gilded filigree), the throne of St. James the Younger inlaid with mother-of-pearl, blue tiles covering the columns and walls two meters from the floor.

During the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 the inhabitants of the Armenian quarter used the cathedral as a bomb shelter. They talk about the night when more than a thousand shells fell around, but no one was hurt - the walls a meter thick were protected reliably. However, not all and not always had time to hide. A memorial plaque at the entrance indicates the resting place of the 94th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Gureg Israelian - his heart could not stand it in 1949, too often he held his compatriots in his arms.

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Topic: Cathedral of St. James description and photos - Israel: Jerusalem.