History

William Henry Bartlett about Armenian Convent in Jerusalem

File:Armenian Convent, Jerusalem wikimedia.org

Travel writer William Henry Bartlett (1809-1854) was scathing about most of the sites and scenes of Jerusalem.

The only building in the whole city, he wrote, “that presents any considerable appearance of comfort” is the Armenian Convent; its compactly-built façade, the neatly-paved street in front, overshadowed by the noble tree, and the portly and highly respectable looking monks about its doorway, are all redolent of ease, and wealth, and cleanliness—rare in the city of Jerusalem.”

He also wrote that the Armenian Convent was the “best resting place in Jerusalem.”

By Jirair Tutunjian

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

The Turkish Pipeline: How Syrian Fighters Were Recruited, Moved and Deployed Against Armenian Forces in the 2020 Artsakh War

Image Source: 301.am For years, Ankara and Baku publicly denied that Syrian fighters had any…

3 days ago

Tork Angegh: Storm, Stone, and the Oldest Face of the Armenian Pantheon

Long before Armenia's kings raised churches over pagan sanctuaries, before Hellenism folded Vahagn into Herakles…

1 week ago

The Goat on the Armenian Highland: A Symbol Older Than Writing

Introduction Long before Urartian kings inscribed their names in cuneiform on the cliffs of Van,…

2 weeks ago

“Summon Against Her the Kingdoms of Ararat”: Urartu-Armenia in the Prophecy Against Babylon

A Coalition Beneath the Mountain Among the oracles of judgment collected in the Book of…

2 weeks ago

The Tower That Never Left Us: From the Susi Shrine of Ancient Van to the Obelisk Above the Yerevan Cascade

If you have ever climbed the Cascade in Yerevan and looked up at the tall,…

2 weeks ago

Hayravank Monastery: The “Father Monastery” of Lake Sevan and the Legend of the Doves

On a rocky promontory above the southwestern shore of Lake Sevan, at an elevation of…

2 weeks ago