Wor ld Monuments Fund
95 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Tel. 646-424-9594
[email protected]
2010 Watch Sites
CURRENT WATCH SITE
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JAMES
Old City of Jerusalem
Entering the cobblestone alleys of the Cathedral of St. James is a journey
back in time. The large patriarchal monastery of St. James was built during
the 12th century on the remains of a 5th-century Georgian church, on a site
that was identified as the burial place of the first bishop of Jerusalem
(St. James Minor). Resting in the southwestern corner of the Old City of
Jerusalem, the structure is one of the few cathedrals from the Crusades to
have survived almost intact. As early as 1195, St. James served as a refuge
for the Armenian poor when a large hospice was attached to the church. Local
Armenian merchants worked to beautify and enlarge the monastery through the
centuries. This close relationship between the cathedral and the Armenian
community was further solidified in the 17th century, when the cathedral was
designated the seat of the Armenian Christian Church, around which the
Armenian quarter of Jerusalem was established. Building activities
intensified after the 1840s, and by the end of the 19th century the
cathedral was reputed for its architectural ornament and its collection of
jeweled vestments and manuscripts. After the first genocide and Soviet
dominance of Armenia, St. James became a spiritual and cultural center of
great importance for the Armenian diaspora.
This sacred place of history, identity, and unity is threatened by
structural problems and deterioration of the elaborate interiors.
Conservation and long-term management are sought to preserve the cathedral
and to facilitate visitation and religious pilgrimage to the site, as well
as to promote dialogue in a place so troubled by conflict yet so rife with
shared history.