An Armenian clergyman in Jerusalem

The photograph shows an Armenian clergyman in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, approximately at the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century. He sits on a chair on a stone-paved terrace. He wears a long white garment and a dark fez. Behind him a large building with towers and a tall bell tower can be seen.

Armenians settled in Jerusalem as early as the end of the 1st century, and in the 4th century, after Armenia adopted Christianity, a permanent spiritual centre took shape in the city. Armenian clergy played an important role in preserving the holy sites, copying manuscripts and organising community life.