house of Annas, prison and parish church

Holy Archangels has been the parish church catering to the

spiritual and religious needs of the kaghakatsi community who

look upon it as their own personal gateway to heaven.

The traditional site of the house of Annas, it is the second major Armenian church in Jerusalem, but is built on a less grandiose scale than the Cathedral of St James. Located at the northern edge of the Armenian compound, it is commonly associated with weddings, christenings and funeral ceremonies. During the recent restoration of the church, workers came across ancient Armenian inscriptions buried behind layers of plaster. Some of the inscriptions have been dated as far back as the 13th Century. An old baptismal font was also uncovered behind one of the walls. The vault of the church is supported on four fat columns. Stripped of their plaster, the columns revealed row upon row of distinctive Armenian stone- crosses (Khachkar) engraved in the masonry by Armenian pilgrims. The church boasts another unique distinction: it has no less than seven altars, one of them marking the site of the prison where Christ was held. But the most striking feature of the church is the decorative array of Kutayha tiles lining the walls. Most of the tiles are painted in blue and carry traditional Armenian floral motifs. But a very small number bear full-color illustrations of Biblical scenes. Experts consider these tiles, and the ones found on the walls of the Cathedral of St James, masterpieces of Armenian ceramic art. Father Emmanuel Atajanian, a member of the St James Brotherhood of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, notes the unusually low entrance to the St Archangels convent denotes security concerns. The golden and silver receptacles of churches often tempted attacks on Holy Shrines," he says, prompting church authorities to take such steps to thwart thieves. The low entrance had another purpose - it reminds the visitor of the Psalm (51:17), "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." "That is to say that the faithful who enter the church should be humble and obedient to the commandments of the Lord," he adds. The walled-up olive tree has been sacred ever since early Christian times and has been the object of reverence for countless pilgrims. The tree never seems to grow old or die as new roots supplant old ones. Archbishop Maghakia Ormanyan, one of the Armenian nation's greatest historians, relates that on the evening of Good Friday, the faithful come to this place and a special ceremony is held there. "The fruits of the tree are gathered while spiritual songs and hymns are sung and with the stone of the fruit (olive pits) rosaries are prepared which are spread by the pilgrims everywhere," he writes in his "Armenian Jerusalem," (1931). The fruits and stones of this tree are said to be miraculous and many have been the barren women and those suffering from high fever, who have been cured by them. On the right side of the parapet surrounding, a stone is wedged in the wall of the church at a height of about 50cm from the ground, upon which one can discern a crack in the the shape of a mouth. This small column has been called the "Hosanna Stone," the crack having opened upon Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, when he reprimanded the Pharisees for demanding those who were shouting "Hosanna" to be quiet. "I will tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out," Jesus had said (Luke 19:40). Atajanian adds: The convent of the Holy Archangels is a typical medieval convent. In spite of its small size, the convent and the church have a great significance. It preserves the old Armenian church style which is divided into two parts: the external vestibule and the inner church. The vestibule has the altar on the northeastern side that stands in memory of the insults borne by Christ in the house of the high priest and it is called The Altar of Passions. As soon as you enter the church on the left northeastern corner there is a small chapel which is our Lord's first prison. Although this fact is not mentioned in the New Testament, we have accepted it according to Church tradition that has been honored for many centuries. When Jesus Christ was brought from the garden of Gethsemane to the house of Annas, they incarcerated Him there for some time. The inner part of the church has the main altar. Also, there are altars both to the right and to the left dedicated to the angels. The arc-shaped ceilings are supported by four pillars. The church is decorated with many pictures. “There is another tradition linked with the Holy Archangels Church mentioned in the Old Testament, which says that the prophet David from there saw God's angel at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 'The angel of the Lord was standing between heaven and earth, with a naked sword in his hand stretched out against Jerusalem, when the Lord said: Enough now! Stay your hand! (2 Samuel 24:16-17; I Chronicles 21:15-16).'" When Latin clergymen were ousted from their monastery on Mount Zion, the Armenians invited them to reside at Holy Archangels. Later, a special order of the ruling Ottoman High Port granted the Latins ownership of the St. Savior's monastery, which was previously called St. John and belonged to the Georgians. Holy Archangels has been under the care of the Armenians ever since the spread of Christianity, it foundation laid by Queen Heghine (Helen), the wife of King Abgar. Ancient records state since time immemorial these have been Armenian properties in Jerusalem, their construction ascribed to Queen Heghine, "who is the first founder of the Holy Places." Atajanian reports that these places since that time have been protected secretly and openly by Armenian monks and faithful hermits until the time of the second Heghine (Helen), the mother of Constantine the Great. "Foreign historians for the first time in the 7th century have mentioned that this convent belongs to the Armenians. In the course of time the kings and rulers of Cilicia have carried out renovations. Among the renovators was King Levon III (1286). He constructed a wall around the compound, and left an inscription. Grigory the Chain Bearer was another. The last time Holy Arhcnagels was restored was in the Eighties. This convent has also served as a nunnery where nuns and women advanced in age lived together and devoted their time to prayers and meditation and took care of the sanctuary. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem website notes the Church is situated in the southwestern part of the Old City inside the walls of the Armenian St. James Monastery. “The main entrance of the Convent is narrow and low, similar to the entrances of churches in the Holy City. The reason for the construction of such entrances was for security purposes since the golden and silver receptacles of churches often tempted attacks on Holy Shrines. The low entrance had another purpose--it reminds the visitor of the Psalm: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Ps. 51:17). That is to say that the faithful who enter the church should be humble and obedient to the commandments of the Lord. "This convent stands in the location where once stood the house of the high priest, Annas. Here our Lord Jesus Christ was brought to be tried by the impious high priest. They arrested Him and took Him to the mansion of the high priest Annas via the Gethsemane and the lower part of the city wall by the south- eastern entrance which is now called Dung Gate. As it is testified in the Gospel: So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound Him. First they led Him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people (John 18:12-14). "In the house of the high priest the religious council of the Jews was gathered. Annas, even though he was not the high priest of that year, was raised to the honor of high priest in the ninth year AD, and later was deposed by the procurator Gratus, after reigning nine years. But being wealthy, intriguing and foxy, Josephus tells us, he succeeded in having his own sons appointed as his successors, and, four years later, his son-in-law, who continued in office for nineteen years. Annas was still the soul of the Sanhedrin, and that was the reason the divine prisoner was taken first to him. The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teaching. Jesus answered him, I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing secretly. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me, what I said to them; they know what I said. When He said this, one of the servants standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, ?Is that how You answer the high priest (John 18:19-22)?? The boldness with which the Son of God was slapped terrified the angels and, as the holy fathers of the Church interpret, the holy angels covered their faces with their wings. The Armenian Catholicos, St. Nerses the Gracious, writes in the hymn of the church, "Aysor Antchar": "The servant slapped that face, "Which cherub did not even dare to look at " But hid his face behind his wings. "The local people called this convent Der al Zeytune --the Convent of the Olive Tree, to which our Lord was tied before being tried. "When the Lord was brought to the presence of the high priest Annas for trial, he was busy with another trial, so they tied Christ to the nearby olive tree and then imprisoned Him. This olive tree has been sacred ever since the earliest Christian centuries and has been the object of reverence for pilgrims. Special care is taken of the tree and new shoots grow from its roots. Archbishop Malachia Ormanyan relates that on the evening of Good Friday, the faithful come to this place and a special ceremony is held there. The fruits of the tree are gathered while spiritual songs and hymns are sung and with the stone of the fruit (olive pits) rosaries are prepared which are spread by the pilgrims everywhere (Armenian Jerusalem, 1931, p. 128). The fruits and stones of this tree are miraculous. Miracles are told related to barren women and those suffering from high fever. "On the right side of the parapet surrounding this tree which is, at the same time, one of the walls of the church, it is possible to see a stone about half a meter high from the ground upon which can be seen openings like the mouth of a human being. This small column has been called Hosannas Stone. According to tradition, those cracks were opened when Christ entered Jerusalem gloriously and reprimanded the Pharisees, (who demanded the silencing of those who were shouting "Hosanna!") saying: "I will tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out" (Luke 19:40). “The convent of the Holy Archangels is a typical medieval convent. In spite of its small size, the convent and the church have a great significance. It preserves the old Armenian church style which is divided into two parts: the external vestibule and the inner church. The vestibule (15m*16.5m) has the altar on the northeastern side that stands in memory of the insults borne by Christ in the house of the high priest and it is called The Altar of Passions. As soon as you enter the church on the left northeastern corner there is a small chapel (1.5* 1.75m) which is our Lord?s first prison. Although this fact is not mentioned in the New Testament, we have accepted it according to Church tradition that has been honored for many centuries. When Jesus Christ was brought from the garden of Gethsemane to the house of Annas, they incarcerated Him there for some time. The inner part of the church has the main altar. Also, there are altars both to the right and to the left dedicated to the angels. The arc-shaped ceilings are supported by four pillars. The area of the church including the altars and pillars is 15m* 8.5m. It is decorated with many pictures. “There is another tradition linked with the Holy Archangels Church mentioned in the Old Testament, which says that the prophet David from there saw God's angel at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. The angel of the Lord was standing between heaven and earth, with a naked sword in his hand stretched out against Jerusalem, when the Lord said: Enough now! Stay your hand! (2 Samuel 24:16-17; I Chronicles 21:15-16). "For a certain time Armenians invited Latin clergymen to reside in this place after they had been ousted from the monastery of Zion. Later, by a special order of the Ottoman High Port, they obtained today's St. Saviors monastery, which was previously called St. John and belonged to the Georgians. "The Holy Archangels Convent has been under the care of the Armenians ever since the spread of Christianity. The foundation was laid by Queen Heghine (Helen), the wife of King St. Abgar. One of the Armenian priests writes: "The construction of this church is contemporaneous with the construction of Holy Places, such as the house of Caiaphas (Armenian Holy Savior Monastery) as well as this place." "Since time immemorial these have been Armenian properties and their construction is ascribed to Queen Heghine, who is the first founder of the Holy Places, because during the reign of Titus, part of the buildings built on Mount Zion remained standing. These places since that time have been protected secretly and openly by Armenian monks and faithful hermits until the time of the second Heghine (Helen), the mother of Constantine the Great; among these Holy Places, St. James is included. Foreign historians for the first time in the 7th century have mentioned that this convent belongs to the Armenians. In the course of time the kings and rulers of Cilicia have carried out renovations, such as Armenian King Levon III in the year 1286. He has constructed a wall around the monastery of the Archangels, and has left an inscription. Similarly, constructions and restorations have been carried out by Gregory the Chain Bearer. For the last time it was restored in the eighties of the present century. "This convent has served as a nunnery. Virgins and women advanced in age lived together and devoted their time to prayers and meditation and took care of the sanctuary. This convent has its superior and a priest-in-charge who is the parish priest of the Armenian community of Jerusalem." (Courtesy Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem)