ABSTRACT
The Armenian presence in Palestine dates back to the fourth century ce, when Armenian pilgrims began arriving in Jerusalem after the uncovering of the holy places of Christianity, ascribed to Saint Helena, mother of the newly converted Emperor Constantine I. In addition to clergy within the Patriarchate, a small Armenian lay community had existed for centuries around the Cathedral of Sts. James in what became known as the Armenian Quarter, which occupies about one-sixth of Jerusalem’s Old City. The end of the Ottoman Empire and the arrival of British rule in 1917 profoundly altered the nature of the Armenian community in Palestine. During World War I and the post-war period, the economic situation of the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian community of Jerusalem deteriorated dramatically. The Armenian Catholic Church was formed in the year 1742 when Pope Benedict XIV officially recognized Abraham Ardzivian as Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia.
