Day 51 - Old City - Armenian Quarter

The Armenian Quarter is the smallest of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem.  St. James Monastery, takes up about two-thirds of the Armenian Quarter.  The Monastery contains gifts left by pilgrims over the last 1,000 years. It also includes the Gulbenkian Library, which holds more than 100,000 volumes, many of which date back hundreds of years.  During the 1967 war, two unexploded bombs were found inside the monastery, which the Armenians considered a miracle.

While almost 3000 Armenians live in Jerusalem, on 500 actually live in the Armenian Quarter.  The Armenian people have had a presence in Jerusalem since the first century, when they fought under the Roman emperor, Titus.  They adopted Christianity as their official religion even before the Romans.

The Armenian Quarter was established in the 14th century.  A famous landmark in the quarter is James Church.  Built during the 12th century, this church was erected to honor both the brother of Jesus and James the Apostle.   According to Armenian tradition, Jesus' brother is buried at the center of the church and the head of St. James is located in a marked shrine.

Unlike the other Old City neighborhoods, the Armenian Quarter does not attract alot of tourists.  There are only just a few souvenir shops and restaurants.  Armenians are well known for their tiles and ceramics, and as such, there are a few of these specialty shops in the neighborhood.