The Armenian Quarter
One of the oldest religious communities in the Middle East resides in the Old City of Jerusalem: The Armenian Quarter has been occupied by Armenian Christians from the earliest days of Christianity. Today, the St. James Cathedral in the Armenian Quarter remains a center of worship for about 1,000 Armenians in Jerusalem. Centrally located with an entrance at Jaffa Gate, the quarter is also located just up the hill from the Western Wall.
The history of the Armenian presence in Jerusalem—as well as in the Holy Land as a whole—is long and complex. Armenians pride themselves in that their nation was the first to convert en masse to Christianity. This conversion took effect subsequent to the conversion of the Armenian King Tirdat in 301 A.D.
When Constantine made Christianity an acceptable religion in the Roman Empire via the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., Armenians settled in Jerusalem and began to build churches and residences there. They soon became one of the dominant Christian presences in Jerusalem, with joint authority in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and a population of thousands.
After the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem from Byzantium in 638 A.D., Armenians were permitted to continue their practices, as long as they submitted to the Pact of Omar—a series of laws constraining the lifestyle of non-Muslims—and paid a special tax.
Later on under the Ottoman Empire, the Armenians fared reasonably well, though there were a number of conflicts between the various Christian orders for control of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. When the Ottoman Empire became weak, the Armenians found themselves without the support of a ruling country—a major difference between them and other Christian sects in Jerusalem.
Today the Armenian Quarter retains a population of about 1,000, in a community that is centered upon churches and schools in the immediate area. St. James Cathedral has endured as the focus of the Armenian community’s worship in Jerusalem, and stands as testimony to centuries of devotion.
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