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Introduction

Over the past two millenniums the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has enjoyed a unique position in the hierarchical structure of the Armenian Church. It is considered the second most venerated of the holy Sees in the Armenian Church, after the Holy See of Etchmiadzin. Its preeminence stems from its historical role as custodian and administrator of the dominical sanctuaries in the Holy Land from the early days of Christianity.

In spite of the turbulent history of the country, rife with numerous conquests, political upheavals, sectarian animosities and contentious rivalries among the Christian churches at times culminating into international conflicts between world powers, the Armenian Patriarchate has survived as the protector of the rights and privileges of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land. At the same time, it has proven itself time and again as the steadfast bastion of Orthodox faith.

As the object of the unwavering devotion and dedication, the unstinting generosity and undying love of the Armenian people throughout the world, it has stood as a beacon of light for future generations and it has grown and prospered as an important center and repository of Armenian literary, cultural, educational and religious treasures and traditions.

Notwithstanding its variegated modes of leadership and the threats to its very existence from external forces both secular and religious, (in particular the Orthodox Greek, Georgian, Russian as well as Latin Catholic churches), the Patriarchate has succeeded in maintaining its paramountcy in the Holy Places. Today, it is internationally acknowledged as one of three major custodians of the Holy Sites, enjoying equal recognition and status as a distinct diplomatic entity along with the Greek Orthodox and Latin Catholic churches .

Historical Role

The history of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land can be divided into four distinct eras:

            1. Early Christian Era (70-323 A.D.)

            2. Interdenominational Era (323-506 A.D.)

            3. Era of Bishoprics (506-638 A.D.)

            4. Patriarchate Era - A.D.638 to date

1. Early Christian Era- During its formative years, Christianity was essentially an underground movement. The followers of the Man from Nazareth were mercilessly persecuted by the Roman emperors. The original leaders of the Christian church were of Jewish origin through the first half of the second century. However, with the conversion of non-Jews and the prevailing Hellenistic influences, the church leadership eventually took on a multi-ethnic character consisting of followers from various countries and cultures (Greek, Syrian, Ethiopian, Macedonian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Georgian and Armenian).The principal Bishop was generally a Greek. The Bible was written in Greek, Syriac, and/or Aramaic. All worship was conducted in common at prescribed locations used by all. There was no denominational distinction between the various groups comprising the Christian community. Except for isolated instances, there is no tangible historical evidence that Armenians had leadership roles in the Holy land.

2. Interdenominational Era- With Armenia adopting Christianity as its official religion in A.D.301, and with the conversion of Emperor Constantine in A.D.323, Christianity was now practiced in the open. The Armenian clergy in the Holy Land began to function under the spiritual authority of the Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, although their day-to-day endeavors continued to be guided by the communal nature of the Christian leadership under the supervision of the senior Bishop of Jerusalem. The Armenian Church was represented by a succession of minor bishoprics. It must be emphasized here that Christianity being in its formative stages had to contend with the growing pains of organizational and theological development and maturity. All ethnic groups were bound together by the Holy Scriptures in a common language. Chroniclers of this period often made mention of the existence of Armenian bishops and monks as part of the overall structure of the Christian society.

3. Era of Bishoprics- The Council of Calcedon ( A.D.451) was a major milestone in the history of the Christian Church. It culminated in the final undoing of the concept of One Church as a result of the controversy between the bishops and theologians of the various centers of Christianity with regard to the nature of Christ. Political and temporal considerations played a crucial part in the subsequent splintering of the Christian Church. The harmonious relations among Christians in the Holy Land came to an unpleasant end around A.D.550, when Emperor Justinian, an avowed diophysite, proclaimed that all monophysites within the Roman empire must become diophysites, otherwise they will loose all their church properties in his domain. The Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, also a diophysite, was a willing ally of the emperor, being certain he would acquire church properties belonging to the monophysites. Having sided with the monophysites, the Armenian church leadership with the encouragement of the then Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, Hovhannes Kapeshian (537-574 A.D.), resisted this flagrant attempt at conversion, at the risk of having all its properties, including many monasteries and some churches expropriated. According to historical records more than four hundred monasteries belonging to Armenian monks were appropriated by the Greek and Georgian churches, and the monks driven out of Palestine.

Fortunately, this adverse situation changed upon the assassination of Justinian in A.D.565. Armenians were successful in reclaiming most of their properties.( mainly through massive bribes to the succeeding emperor.) Also, as a result of the irreparable chasm created by the actions of the incumbent Greek Patriarch, the Armenian church leadership followed the example of their brethren in Armenia and declared themselves independent of the Greek hierarchy in the Holy land, thus establishing a separate and distinct Armenian national bishopric with its own proprietary and custodial rights and privileges in the management of the Holy Sanctuaries, a move that prescribed the beginning of a tortuous history of conflict between the two churches well into the twentieth century.

Unfortunately , history has not graced us with a clear line of succession of Armenian bishops during this period. Isolated accounts on record mention the names of individual bishops and monks at diverse and unrelated intervals testifying to the continuity of the Armenian presence in the Holy Land.

4. Patriarchate Era - The first Armenian Patriarch on record is Bishop Abraham I (638-669 A.D.). After him, history records a continuous and uninterrupted chain of regimes of leadership extending to the present Patriarch, His beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian (1990 to date). A chronological list of patriarchs and a brief description of their tenure will be given later in this presentation. These brief accounts of the lives of men with diverse personalities who struggled to preserve the Holy Seat of Jerusalem, will be found to be fascinating.

Relations With Other Armenian Sees

Because of its geographic location and its unique role of representing the interests of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has enjoyed from its inception a uniquely favorable position and support from the other Sees in the hierarchical structure of the Armenian church.

Bishop Eusebius of Ceasarea (260-339 A.D.), mentions in his chronicles of written communications between Bishop Dyonesius of Alexandria and Moushegh, Bishop of Armenia. This account tends to confirm the existence of an Armenian religious presence in Jerusalem as an intermediary. After the conversion of King Terdat III at the hands of St. Gregory the Illuminator in A.D.301 and with Christianity declared as one of the official religions of the Roman empire, Armenians are known to have taken an active role in the search and construction of holy sites. Anastas Vartabed and several subsequent chroniclers speak of a traditional Armenian church legend describing the pilgrimage of St Gregory to Jerusalem. He is credited with the construction of several sanctuaries in and around Jerusalem..He died shortly thereafter in A.D.325. Hence the spiritual and hierarchical authority of the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin was established. At the same time the interdenominational cooperation and harmony of the Christians in Jerusalem continued for another two hundred years.

In order to put into perspective the nature and character of the Armenian Church in the Holy Land some explanation is in order. In spite of its apparent independence, its existence was influenced by events that took place not only in Armenia, but in the Holy Land as well. With the country victimized by many conquests and Armenia proper being invaded and divided for two millenniums, the Armenian Church leaders were placed at times in untenable situations and had to rely on their initiative and ingenuity. Throughout, the Patriarchate remained loyal to the Catholicos of Armenia wherever he happened to reside .

The history of the Armenian Catholicosate has been inextricably intertwined with the political destiny of the Armenian nation. In fact, the conversion of King Terdat III was motivated as much by political as by religious considerations. With Armenia adopting a national religion, the country was not only declaring its political independence but, was also asserting its spiritual and cultural freedom from outside influences. Thus, it afforded the opportunity for the Armenian people to rely on a unique national character imbued with a deep sense of loyalty toward its identity as a nation immersed in its Christian faith and traditions.

The downside to this unique blend of political and religious identities is that because of its geographic location Armenia has been the object of a multitude of conquests, occupations and partitions creating political instability in the nation. As a result, the Catholicos has been compelled on many occasions to shoulder the role of sovereign protector of the Armenian people. By the same token, the Seat of the Catholicos has not always been in Etchmiadzin. Beginning with the protracted Vartanank wars the Holy Seat was moved to locations where the political leadership moved. Between A.D.484 and A.D.1441 the See of the Catholicos had to move in succession to the cities of Dvin, Ani, Aghtamar, the fortress of Hromkla and Sis, the capitol of Cilicia, creating in its wake duplicate and sometimes rival incumbencies depending on the whims of the feuding princes.

During these peregrinations the Patriarchate of Jerusalem maintained its allegiance to the spiritual authority of the Catholicos wherever he was located. Between A.D.1100 and A.D.1441 it relied on the spiritual authority of the Catholicos in Cilicia, retaining its independence in matters pertaining to the administration of its holy sanctuaries and land holdings . At the beginning of the fourteenth century the Brotherhood of Saint James experienced another deplorable episode in the history of Armenian Cilicia characterized by chronic domestic upheavals and instability.

In A.D.1307, King Hetoum II of Cilicia (1289-1297 & 1299-1308), a devout Catholic and ardent adherent to the Latin Church in Rome, called a general assembly (or Synod) in Sis, his capital and the seat of the Catholicos. Attending were forty bishops, many scholarly monks, religious and lay dignitaries as well as the presiding Catholicos. Hetoum forced the convocation to adopt a resolution ratifying the formal union of the Armenian Church with the Latin Church as proposed by the Papacy in Rome. In return, he would obtain more effective financial aid and support from the western powers ( Germany and France). Vehement protestations from the general public, both men and women who had by then become vocal in national affairs, were to no avail. Soon after this convocation, General Bilarghou, the representative of the Mongol Khan in Eastern Armenia, who had a grudge against Hetoum for not allowing him to build a Moslem mosque in Sis, invited the king, his brother Leon and a retinue of some forty Armenian nobles to his headquarters in Anazarba with the pretext of discussing some pressing political matters. As soon as the guests were inside his tent the general ordered his soldiers to fall upon the Armenians, killing them to the last man. Hetoum's fourth brother, Oshin (1308-1320), who did not attend this meeting, gathered an army and pursued the Mongols out of Armenian territory.

After being crowned King, Oshin, also an ardent Catholic, resolved to enforce the unification of the two churches. In A.D.1309, a large group of clergy and laymen met at a convocation and vociferously rejected the resolution of A.D.1307. King Oshin, with the acquiescence of the Catholicos at the time, seized all of them by force. After confining the Vartabeds in his fortress, he put to death a considerable number of clergy as well as many lay people including a group of women. He then exiled some of the monks to Cyprus where most of them died.

Upon hearing the news, Patriarch Sarkis (1281-1313A.D.) of Jerusalem backed by the Saint James Brotherhood, categorically rejected the resolution of A.D.1307 and the edict of the Catholicos, as contrary to the traditional tenets and spiritual principles of the Armenian Church.

They resolved to separate themselves from the temporal jurisdiction of the Catholicos of Cilicia.

This decision was facilitated by the fact that Palestine was then under the rule of the Memluk sultans. To ensure the independence of the Patriarchate from the Latin-oriented Kingdom of Silicia, Patriarch Sarkis journeyed to Cairo, Egypt, and personally appealed to Sultan Mohammed who issued a written edict re-affirming the independence of the Patriarchate and upholding its rights and privileges throughout the Memluk domain. Several years later, the Patriarchate resolved to return within the hierarchical and spiritual framework of the Catholicosate of Sis, recognizing it as the supreme authority of the Armenian Church until A.D.1441.

The Kingdom of Cilicia came to an end with the capture of the city of Sis and the surrender of its last king, Leon V on April 13,1375. He was betrayed by some members of his court for attempting to Latinize the country. They invited the Memluk general Emir Ashiq Timour of Mardin, also Governor of Aleppo, who arrived with his army and with the help of the traitors he took the capitol city of Sis, except for the King's fortress. After protracted negotiations, Timour agreed not to kill, but to take hostage King Leon, his wife and two children, the members of his court and his family as well as a large group of Armenian barons and dignitaries, and for good measure, the Catholicos of Cilicia, Boghos I, one of the major conspirators. After parading his captives in the streets of Aleppo, he took the entire retinue to Cairo as war prizes for the sultan. The ordeal lasted almost three months. In time most of the captives were ransomed including Catholicos Boghos I who returned to Cilicia along with some of the dignitaries. However, his prestige took a nosedive since he was considered responsible for the downfall of the Kingdom of Silica which effectively ceased to exist. From then on, the Armenian people were victims of political subjugation, never gaining independence until May 28, 1918 with the establishment of the short-lived Armenian Republic which lasted to November 19,1920 when the Russian Communists took over the country.

As to the fate of King Leon, some influential members of the Armenian community in Egypt appealed to the sultan who released him as hostage on the condition he remain in Cairo. The sultan was kind enough to give him a house and monthly allowance guaranteeing his survival. A man in his early thirties, King Leon was steeped in tragedy. While in Egypt, he suffered the death of his wife and two children . Finally, he was ransomed by the King of Castille and on October 7, 1382, after seven years of captivity, he sailed for Europe from Alexandria. He died on November 29, 1393 in Paris and is buried there.

With the fall of the kingdom of Cilicia, all Armenian territories were under the rule of several Muslim Turkish tribes and warlords. Eastern Armenia where Etchmiadzin was located, was under the dominance of Turkoman tribes chased away by the Mongols in Central Asia. They were identified as the Kar-Koyoumly (Black Sheep) and the Ak-Koyoumlu (White Sheep) tribes.

Iskandar of the Black Sheep dynasty assumed the title of Shah-Armen. His brother and successor, Jihan Shah, had friendly relations with the Armenian church leadership. He promulgated that the Seat of the Catholicosate must be transferred from Sis to Etchmiadzin (A.D.1441). However , the incumbent Catholicos of Silicia remained in Sis and was forced to function as the titular head of that particular region under different Turkish rulers.

The move of the Holy See to Etchmiadzin was eventually challenged by the religious hierarchy in Cilicia, who believed that their Catholicos was the legitimate head of the Armenian Church. Thus, a rivalry was born creating a festering wound of disunity in the Armenian Church to this day. After several years of uncertainty, the Catholicosate of Cilicia was reorganized in A.D.1446 as a regional Seat with jurisdiction over cities and Armenian communities in Cilicia, at the southwest corner of present Turkey along the Mediterranean coast. The Catholicos at Etchmiadzin was recognized as the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. This turn of events also affected the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which entered a new phase in terms of its relationship with other hierarchical Sees. With Cilicia loosing its supremacy, the Patriarchate recognized the spiritual authority of the Catholicos in Etchmiadzin.

With the capture of Constantinople in A.D.1453 and the subsequent occupation of Jerusalem in December 1516A.D. by the Ottoman Turks, the entire Middle East and parts of Southern Europe became part of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, a new order was established with regard to the treatment and status of the diverse people within the empire. Consequently, the status of the Patriarch in Jerusalem took a new dimension with respect to other Sees of the Armenian Church taking into account that Eastern Armenia (hence Etchmiadzin) remained under Persian rule.

Sultan Mehmed II (1432-1481), acknowledged as the founder of the Ottoman empire, recognizing the diversity of the various ethnic groups within his empire, devised a system of self-rule for their peaceful co-existence. In A.D.1461 he reinstated the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople which he renamed Istambul, he designated a Chief rabbi for the Jews and by a special edict he established the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (Bolis in Armenian).

Under the Ottomans, ethnic and religious communities , namely the Greeks, Jews and Armenians, (Also the Serbs, Croats, Albanians in the Balkans) were formed into distinct entities which they called "Millet" (Nation). Each was allowed to retain its own laws concerning its internal ethnic and religious affairs to be guided and enforced under the general jurisdiction of a single leader named "Millet Bashi" (Head of Nation). Under this system, the Christians were divided into two broad and inclusive groups based on their profession of faith. Accordingly, the Orthodox diophysites were placed under the general authority of the Greek Patriarch, though each sub-group retained its religious leaders. The monophysites, comprising the Jacobite, Syrian, Coptic and Abyssinian communities, were made subject to the jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, while retaining their own autocephalic hierarchies. The Ottomans did not recognize the Latins as a Millet since they were under foreign ( i.e. European) jurisdiction, hence they did not pay the customary taxes. Consequently, their Patriarch had no standing with the " Sublime Porte " until late in the nineteenth century.

The Armenian Millet in Western Armenia ( or in what we now know as Turkey proper), was divided into six Vilayet(s) or provinces (Van, Bitlis, Erzerum, Diarbekir, Kharput and Sivaz). The jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarch in Constantinople extended over all the communities in these provinces and he exercised his authority over all aspects of Armenian society. In fact, for the first time since A.D.1375, Armenians had a modicum of self-government albeit under a foreign entity. In addition to his temporal authority over the bishoprics in the Vilayets, his autho-rity extended over the bishoprics dependent upon the regional Catholicosates of Cilicia and Aghtamar (an island in the middle of Lake van ). He also functioned as the legate or deputy of the Catholicos in Etchmiadzin in its relations with the communicants of the Armenian Church in the Ottoman Empire. After the capture of Palestine (and Jerusalem) by Sultan Selim, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem came under the administrative supervision of the Patriarch of Constantinople also, although for some time the Patriarch and the Saint James Brotherhood conducted their internal affairs independently.

By way of clarification, the Catholicosate of Aghtamar was established by King Gagik of Vasbouragan sometime between 929 and 953 A.D. Gagik had the bad habit of choosing a number Catholicoi who stayed in his court wherever he resided. The Catolicosate of Aghtamar survived inauspiciously until the Genocide of 1915 when it vanished into history. As to the Catholicosate of Cilicia, being outside the geographic boundaries of the Vilayets, it was treated as a separate regional entity although the patriarch of Constantinople, by Ottoman law, had administrative jurisdiction over its bishoprics and clergy.

Under Ottoman rule the relationship between the various Sees of the Armenian Church was in a state of constant flux. At times, lines of religious and social authorities blurred because of the interference of the lay leaders of the community, called amira(s) (influential families of wealthy merchants and high placed functionaries in the employ of the sultans). They began to exert pressure on the religious leaders by attempting to acquire a veto power in matters pertaining to the conduct of religious affairs, including the election of the Patriarch.

In A.D.1856, the Ottoman government at the "Sublime Porte" decreed that each subject Millet within the empire is allowed to form its own representative self- government with its leaders chosen from among the religious and lay population. Each community was to prepare a Constitution and submit it to the Sublime Porte for approval. The Armenians were the first ethnic group to take advantage of this decree. They submitted the first draft in A.D.1857 and a second draft in A.D.1859. Both were rejected by the influential amiras and certain clerical allies. After much debate and deliberation, a compromise was reached and on May 24, 1860, a constitutional assembly of clerical and lay leaders of the Armenian Millet approved the adoption of the Armenian National Constitution (in Armenian: Azkayin Sahmanatrutiun), which established an elaborate and complex process for a democratic system of organization and administration of the Armenian Millet pertaining to ecclesiastical and civil affairs on the central, provincial and local levels. It was to be implemented by an elected Central Council consisting of proportional representation from both the religious and lay sectors.

For a short time, the Council conducted protracted negotiations with the Patriarch Hovhannes Movsessian (1850-1860) of Jerusalem and after his death with the succeeding Locum Tenens. Problems relating to the Council's authority and jurisdiction had to be resolved subject to the final approval of the Sublime Porte, a process taking more than four years.

By March 1863, a slightly revised constitutional document was ratified by all as part of Ottoman law pertaining to the administration of the Armenian Millet. Sadly, for the rest of the nineteenth century and into the first quarter of the twentieth century, the Jerusalem Patriarchate became the object of machinations and usurpation of power by the newly established national council encouraged by the wily ministers of the Ottoman sultans. Understandably, the ultimate authority above all were the sultan and his ministers who had to approve every move and at times sowed the seeds of dissention in order to keep the subjects off balance . More about this later.

The nineteenth century also saw an unprecedented period of social, cultural and political awakenings in all the ethnic communities in the Ottoman Empire as a result of the French revolution and we might add, the American struggle for independence from the King of England, both taking place at the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth. Young men from all ethnic communities including those of the Turkish elite class, traveled to Europe and America where they studied and trained in institutions of learning and in the meantime were exposed to and adopted heretofore unknown democratic and liberal ideas and concepts and expertise which they took back with them to their homeland becoming the motivators of social, literary, educational, cultural and political change. It is safe to say, this sea change in its social structure presaged the eventual weakening and destruction of the Ottoman sultanate in A.D.1908.

By 1850, the educational, literary and cultural development of the Armenians in the Ottoman empire took a great leap forward. Armenians had caught "the bug" so to speak. By the end of the nineteenth century there were more than 5000 elementary schools as well as several religious and secular institutions of higher learning, operating in all the regions of the empire. The Armenian language was modernized becoming the vernacular of the educated who translated foreign language books , published periodicals, wrote poetry and literary works and music. It was truly the age of enlightenment which has had great impact on the well-being of the current generation of Armenians.

In spite of its relatively isolated location, the Armenian Patriarchate was not immune to this extraordinary awakening. It spearheaded its own campaign of social emancipation. With the financial backing of some generous amiras and the support and contributions of large numbers of visiting pilgrims, the Patriarchs were able to initiate progressive projects benefitting not only the members of the St. James Brotherhood, but the members of the Armenian community in Palestine. It was the beginning of an enlightened golden age lasting to the present time in spite of the political upheavals besetting the country over the past eighty years.

The interaction between the Armenian Patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem deserves further discussion. With Ottoman conquest of the entire Middle East and Egypt by 1517, both Armenian Patriarchs came under the same rule for the first time. Since it was located in the Capital, the Patriarch of Constantinople was designated by the Ottoman government to be the sole representative of the Armenian Apostolic Millet, and the senior spokesman for all the other Sees including that of Jerusalem. Accordingly, the Patriarch of Jerusalem had to accept a secondary position in the eyes of the ruling Ottoman officials. The geographic location of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem contributed to its secondary status. During the rule of Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent (1520-1566 A.D.), Jerusalem was the beneficiary of cultural and architectural revival. His most significant contribution to the city was the building of its walls which stand to this day as witness to his generosity. The reconstruction of Christian as well as other religious sanctuaries was encouraged. However, succeeding sultans were more involved in the governance of provinces in Europe and Anatolia and did not pay much attention to a distant Jerusalem located in Arab land.

Although the Ottomans were generous toward the Arab provinces and brought law and order to the region, Palestine was treated as a collection of three districts (Sanjaks), which, in turn were part of the province of Damascus. Hence, the governor of Palestine reported to the governor of Damascus and was considered a second level functionary who over the ensuing years was generally an Arab. Ottomans had no significant presence there and kept a small military presence garrisoned in the city's fort or citadel.

Consequently, the Christian Churches, including the Armenian Patriarchate, suffered the same fate as the country. It had to rely on the Patriarch of Constantinople, for support and guidance. In order to counteract the undue and unfair influence of the Greeks, it was found vitally imperative for the Jerusalem See to establish permanent representation in Istambul. Thus, by agreement between the two Armenian Patriarchs the Jerusalem representative, usually a bishop, began to serve in a dual capacity: 1) As liaison between the two Patriarchs, looking after the interests of Jerusalem, and 2) As the direct representative of the Jerusalem See to the "Sublime Port" (the sultan's court), authorized to make petitions (and sometimes bribing ) independently or more often in consultation and cooperation of the Patriarch and lay Armenian leaders in the capital.

Not being well placed financially, Jerusalem had to rely on the goodwill and generosity of the Amiras and wealthy tradesmen in the Ottoman mainland. The Jerusalem Legate had a staff of clerical and lay assistants headquartered in a special edifice, who promoted their See and handled many facets of operation, including the raising of funds and other contributions. In particular they arranged for the arrival of the Hravirags ( welcoming envoys), the title given to a high ranking clergyman representing the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who arrived annually in the spring to gather pilgrims and make the necessary arrangements as well as accompany the group to Jerusalem, sometimes by land and mostly by sea via Jaffa, Palestine. Also, special designees or envoys of the Patriarch of Jerusalem made annual visits to the capital and the provinces for fund-raising purposes .

Thus, relations between the Patriarchs were generally amicable, and cooperation for the good of all was the norm. However, in time the lines of authority became blurred and confusing specially when certain lay dignitaries interfered with the day-to-day business as well as the election of Patriarchs. For example, between 1683 and 1708 A.D., a confusing succession of Locum Tenens, coadjutors and lay administrators appointed by the Patriarch in Bolis literally bankrupted the Jerusalem Patriarchate endangering the integrity of the Armenian possessions and Holy Sites. In A.D.1708 Archbishop Sahag Abouchekhtsi was elected Patriarch of Bolis.

At the same time he was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem by the Brotherhood. In this unusually dual capacity, Patriarch Sahag decided to remain in the capital while retaining the office of Patriarch of Jerusalem. He dispatched clerical or lay personnel to administer the business of the Holy Sites and the Brotherhood of Saint James. The most celebrated of these was Bishop Hovhannes Golod who arrived in Jerusalem in A.D.1713 as Coadjutor and Overseer of Jerusalem. His first order of business was to expel the corrupt lay managers who in the guise of administering the needs of the Patriarchate were mortgaging its properties while fattening their own pockets. In the winter of A.D.1714, Hovhannes Golod returned to Istambul on a fund raising mission with the goal of paying off the debts of the Patriarchate. However, with the death of Patriarch Sahag of Bolis, the Amiras and clergy prevailed upon him to accept the office of Patriarch. In the spring of A.D.1715 was elected Patriarch of Bolis.

Some historians contend that by Patriarch Sahag's dual election, the two Patriarchal Sees were united. This is a misconception, since this act of unification was short-lived. According to church chronicles, the day after Golod was elected Patriarch he rescinded his predecessor's unification attempt and separated the authority of the two Sees in favor of his intimate friend Bishop Krikor Shirvantsi who was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem in the same year (A.D.1715).

Patriarch Golod then appealed to Sultan Mahmoud to issue an edict approving not only his , but his friend Krikor Shirvantsi's election. In A.D.1716, Golod convened a special Synod along with Patriarch Krikor Shirvantsi, in which they confirmed and ratified the separation of the two Sees.

From A.D.1716 until his death in A.D.1741, Golod was an ardent supporter of the Jerusalem See and his friend Krikor Shirvantsi. He used the power of his office in assisting Patriarch Krikor in his efforts to retire the patriarchate's heavy debts. At same time, both Sees enjoyed a period of peaceful co-existence. Patriarch Krikor died in A.D.1749. More will be said about him. He is also known as Shughtayagir (chainbearer), a remarkably dedicated man of God and one of the few most outstanding of Jerusalem Patriarchs.

From A.D.1749 to the beginning of World War I in A.D.1914, the Jerusalem See enjoyed a spiritually unique position earning the love and respect of the many pilgrims who flocked into its Holy sanctuaries, donating large sums of money, bequeathing land and income producing properties and enriching its churches with exquisite works of religious art and other treasures Yet administratively and politically it suffered constant interference from the powers to be in Istambul. After the ratification of the National Constitution, interference in the internal affairs of the Brotherhood of Saint James and its governance became institutionalized. The election of the Patriarch or Locum Tenens became subject to the approval of the Armenian National Council prior to the final approval of the Ottoman Government. In A.D.1881 bylaws for the conduct of the annual general assembly of the Brotherhood was prepared and ratified. In A.D. 1888 canons defining the functions of the various offices within the Brotherhood were adopted. The processes defined in these document were subject to the ultimate approval of the Patriarch of Bolis and the National Council in the distant capital. Particularly, the process for the election of the Patriarch was cumbersome at best with the interference of the local government functionaries thrown in for good measure. As laid out in the constitution, the Brotherhood had to nominate seven names which were submitted to the Patriarch of Bolis who in turn submitted the slate to the Armenian National Council which selected the Patriarch out of this slate.. If the council did not like anyone on the slate, it was sent back to the Brotherhood in Jerusalem for a new slate, a process that took several months and sometimes years.

The last incident of this type happened after the passing of Patriarch Harootiun Vehabedian (1889-1910 A.D.) at the age of 91 on October 18, 1910.After dragging their feet for eight months, the members of the National Council convened on the first day of July 1911 to elect a delegation which would travel to Jerusalem and instruct the Brotherhood the procedure for the nomination of a slate of seven candidates. Upon receiving the slate of seven "unworthy and unqualified" candidates, the delegation returned to Istambul and by the time the National Council met on February 1, 1913, they found the slate to be unacceptable. By then one of the candidates had died, three were under indictment for embezzling the patriarchate's funds. The council send another delegation to Jerusalem with instructions to submit a new slate of candidates within three months. The assembly of the Brotherhood refused to submit a new slate and for good measure, they literally beat upon the delegates and sent them packing to Istambul. The affairs of the Patriarchate were administered by a group of corrupt and self-serving clergy under the leadership of Ghevont Vartabed Maksoudian who appropriated Patriarchate properties for his own gain.

On May 19,1914 Ex-Patriarch of Bolis, Archbishop Maghakia Ormanian, also a great church historian, arrived in Jerusalem as Locum Tenens. He proceeded to establish a modicum of peace and order while attempting to improve the curriculum of the seminary. However, his tenure was short lived (exactly two years, from August 1914 to August 1916).

Another sorry chapter in the history of the Armenian Church was written during this time. The Young Ottoman Turks entered World War I on the side of Germany in the fall of 1914, after Germany had promised to help them realize their Pan-Turanic dream, which meant the annihilation of non-Turks from the country. While proceeding with the genocide of the Armenian population, they also resolved to eliminate or combine the four Armenian Sees under their rule. They had already displaced the Catholicoi of Aghtamar and Sis and were ready to exile the Patriarch of Bolis, Zaven Der Yeghiayan, and had planned to have one Armenian Church leader located in Jerusalem representing the entire Armenian population within the Ottoman empire with a view of neutralizing the influence of the Catholicos in Armenia which at the time was under Russian rule.

In May 1916, the displaced Catholicos of Cilicia, Sahag Khabayan who, along with his retinue of bishops and priests had taken refuge in the Saint James Convent in Jerusalem, was summoned by Turkish minister Ahmed Jemal Pasha for a private and friendly meeting. They had previously met in Adana and had become friends. Ahmed Jemal informed him that his government had decided that all Armenians under Ottoman rule had to severe their ties with the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin. Accordingly, they had decided to appoint him both Catholicos and Patriarch of Jerusalem, since the seat was vacant at the time. After much hesitation and consultation with his staff and having no other choice, the Catholicos took on the office of Patriarch, becoming for the first time in the history of the Armenian Church a Catholicos/Patriarch and the only recognized church leader in the Ottoman Empire. Sahag considered himself too old (he was about 70) for the job. Nevertheless, he performed his duties as best he could with the help of his staff of bishops.

As the Allied army under British leadership, was entrenched in the hills outside the city of Jerusalem, the Turks suspected the Christian and Jewish leaders of treachery .On the night of November 24,1917, the Turks rounded up all the church and community leaders (Armenian, Greek, Jewish and others), loaded them into trucks and drove them to Damascus as hostages. Of course, Catholicos/Patriarch Sahag was among them. Thus ended the inauspicious tenure of a kindly man of God who, albeit for a short period, was burdened with a responsibly not of his own choosing. (fifteen months, from August 6, 1916 to November 24, 1917.) After the armistice in 1918, Catholicos Sahag settled for a short while in Adana in southern Turkey, then in Aleppo, Syria, during the French Mandate.

Beside ending the long rule of the Ottomans, the allied victory in World War I also brought along a new order shaping the destiny of the Armenian church in a more optimistic fashion. Yet new dangers were on the horizon in the wake of a Communist menace coming out of Russia and the subsequent Soviet Union. By 1920, only two Sees were in office. In that year, Archbishop Yeghishe Tourian was elected Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Catholicos of Etchmiadzin, Kevork the Fifth Soorenian, was tending to his flocks of what was left in Armenia proper. The hapless catholicosate of Aghtamar simply vanished into the folds of history. Catholicos Sahag was languishing in Aleppo without a proper base of operation, having lost the city of Sis in Cilicia which was now part of Turkey. On December 19,1919, with the help of the conquering British Army, Patriarch Zaven returned to Istambul and resumed the duties of his office. With the departure of the Turks, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was no longer under the supremacy of the Patriarch of Bolis. After 1921, the National Assembly was abolished and the Jerusalem Patriarchate re-asserted its independence in the conduct of its internal affairs. However, it continued to rely on the canonical and organizational guidelines of the 1881 and 1888 documents pertaining to the operation of the St. James Brotherhood with some modifications. Recent efforts in preparing a modern version of these documents have not come to fruition.

During Ottoman rule the election of the Patriarch of Jerusalem was subject to the final approval of the sultan. With the British in control, the process for government ratification fell on the shoulders of the British King and his cabinet. At first, they did not know how to handle this new responsibly. However in time, special procedures and protocols were promulgated through the Commissioner in Palestine, which lasted until may 14, 1948 when the responsibility fell to the King of Jordan who controlled the Old City until 1967.

From 1967 to this date, the election of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, by mutual agreement between the parties, is ratified by both the King of Jordan and the President of Israel. As a matter of protocol the Israeli government established a special Ministry of Religions to handle all matters pertaining to all aspects of religious practice and interaction.

As They Stand Now

As of December 1997, there are four active Sees in the Armenian Church.

a) The Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin in independent Armenia

b) The Patriarchate of Constantinople (Bolis) in Turkey

c) The Patriarchate of Jerusalem in Israel

d) The Catholicosate of Antilias ( formerly Cilicia) in Lebanon.

a) For the first time in its long venerated history, the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has regained the love and respect of the Armenian people in a truly free and independent Armenia. His Holiness Karekin I is universally acknowledged as Amenayn Hayots Gatoghigos ( Catholicos of All Armenians). Etchmiadzin is also called "The Mother See". Besides being the Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Church, the temporal jurisdiction of the Catholicos extends over the diocesan districts of Armenia, Artsakh, Russia, the former Soviet republics, Iran, Europe and Iraq.

b) The Patriarchate of Constantinople (Bolis) is located in its centuries-old Seat in Istambul, Turkey. The Patriarch is elected by an assembly of clergy and secular leaders in Turkey and is ratified by the Turkish government. As a citizen of Turkey, he is subject to all its laws and regulations.. The current Patriarch is His Beatitude, Archbishop Mesrob II, Mutafian. Unlike other Seats, the Turkish government has tighter control over the conduct and operation of the Patriarchate. As recently as in December 1997, the Turkish government ordered the Patriarch to dissolve the Advisory Council which, since its formation in 1990, has been assisting in the management and operation of the religious and communal affairs of the Patriarchate. Although Patriarch Karekin forcefully objected to the dissolution order stating that it would constrain his ability to conduct the affairs of his church, the Turkish Ministry of Interior rejected the protest leaving the Patriarch no choice but to dissolve the Council. In recent years , the Turkish Government has promulgated laws and regulations constraining the activities of Christian churches in Turkey. Last year, they forced the shutdown of a long-standing Greek seminary outside the capital.

The temporal jurisdiction of the Patriarch extends over diocesan districts within Turkey only. Its authority over the Patriarchate of Jerusalem ended with the demise of Ottoman rule in 1918. However, the two Patriarchs enjoy a cordial relationship warmed with mutual respect for each other. As equals, both acknowledge the canonical and spiritual authority of the Catholicon in Etchmiadzin.

c) The Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, is in the unique position of presiding in a city acknowledged and revered by the three principal religions (Christian, Jewish and Muslim) as a sacred and holy center of international importance. Accordingly, his office enjoys equal status with the other two Patriarchates (Greek and Latin).

All three are also recognized by the Israeli government as distinct diplomatic entities with fitting privileges and protocol. To the credit of the Israeli Government, never before in history the Christian churches their leaders have been given such distinction and treatment. Although sustaining itself in relative political freedom, the Patriarchate is understaffed and is in need of massive support and lacks the necessary manpower (caused by the exodus of Armenians as a result of the Arab/Israeli wars). The temporal jurisdiction of the Patriarchate extends throughout Israel, the West Bank and Gaza and the Kingdom of Jordan. It maintains monasteries, churches and parochial schools for a relatively small number of Armenians and their children in principal cities in both countries.

d) The See of Antilias (a.k.a.Cilicia) in Lebanon, is currently headed by Catholicos Aram I. From its inception in A.D.1147, established by exiled Armenian princes in Cilicia, it has had a checkered history as a regional Catholicosate administering to the spiritual needs of its local population. In A.D.1915, Cathlicos Sahag II Khabayan was forced by the Turks to vacate his Seat in the city of Sis in Cilicia, never to return. He took refuge in the St James convent in Jerusalem. As the Allied Expeditionary Forces reached the hills outside Jerusalem in late November 1917, the Turkish military packed him off to Damascus along with leaders of other denominations. Soon after, he returned to Adana; but in 1921 he was compelled to depart and temporarily settled in Aleppo, Syria, traditionally his alternate Seat.

Having lost a major portion of its constituency in Cilicia to Turkish massacres and eventual dispersion, the catholicosate had a very small base of parishes under its jurisdiction (in Cyprus, Aleppo and Antioch only) and hardly any resources to carry on its mission. In 1925, Catholicon Khabayan appealed to Patriarch Tourian of Jerusalem for help. At first, due to legal, jurisdictional as well as traditional considerations, Patriarch Tourian and the Brotherhood of St James were reluctant to cede their extensive holdings in Syria and Lebanon accumulated over past centuries. After four years of negotiations, an agreement was reached, and at a General Assembly meeting on March 26, 1929, the St. James Brotherhood voted unanimously to cede to the Cilicia See "on loan"and "on a temporary basis" the diocese in Lebanon and those in the Syrian cities of Damascus and Latakia on the Mediterranean coast, together with the churches, schools, monasteries, hostels, pilgrim's way stations and other properties except for certain commercial properties, cemetery land and income bearing real estate. Certain complicated caveats had to be met by the Cilicia See before the official transfer was made. In 1930, the catholicosate was able to move to its present location in Antilias, then a small village a few miles north of Beirut, Lebanon. Without a doubt, the Catholicosate of Antilias owes its very existence in the twentieth century to the Patriarchate of Jerusalem in more than one way.

The See of Antilias still uses the guidelines and rules of procedure in the National Constitution of 1860, a throwback from Ottoman days, for the election of the Catholicos. The delegates to the conclave comprise of seven lay and one clergyman from each prelacy in addition to the bishops of the See. Accordingly, the lay members have an absolute majority. After the passing of the revered Catholicon, Karekin I Hovsepiants, in 1952, under intense political pressure from the Dashnak party, succeeding regimes of the Catholicosate were compelled to embark upon an ambitious scheme of creating parallel prelacies in the United States and in other countries where Armenians sympathetic to the Dashnak party reside, on the pretext of assisting the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin who was then under Communist rule in Soviet Armenia. They promoted the misguided notion that the Catholicos of All Armenians was a tool and an agent of the nefarious Soviets.

Since his elevation in 1994, Catholicos Aram I has vigorously pursued a campaign of propagating parallel prelacies and churches around the world, encouraged by the political Dashnak party, claiming that the Armenian Church can accommodate the concept of "One Church, Two Equal Heads". In a recent speech in New York, he stated "We will not hesitate to go even as far as Armenia and Karabakh ".

Over the past three decades efforts toward attaining hierarchical unity within the Armenian Church have been fruitlessly stymied by the uncompromising posture of certain church and lay leaders to the frustration and humiliation of the Armenian public and to the detriment of Armenian prestige in the eyes of international communities.