MONTH 2 IN THE HOLY CITY...

This is the first time I have actually uploaded an image to my blog. I said I was a novice in my last post, and I meant it. Now that I have proven to myself that it does work, I will illustrate with photos much more. The image is a historic view of the Monastery of St. James, where the second month of my visit has begun.

Today was the feast day of Kiud Khach, the Discovery of the Holy Cross, commemorated according to the Julian calendar on October 26, but here in Jerusalem the Armenian Patriarchate follows the Gregorian calendar. The services were held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with the participation of the Brotherhood of St. James, led in procession from the St. James Monastery to the Holy Sepulchre by His Beatitude, Patriarch Torkom Manoogian. What struck me as I was following the procession down Armenian Patriarchate Road and through the old marketplace was the awe with which pedestrians/pilgrims watched the Patriarchal retinue as it walked by, preceded by three kawasses in their traditional garb and silver-headed staffs with which they pound the pavement to announce the approaching procession.

In the Basilica itself, first the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Armenian chapel, and then at the Sepulchre itself, the special ceremony took place. The Brotherhood, the seminarians, and the boys from the Tarkmanchats School were part of the procession in which the Patriarch, beneath a canopy, circled the tomb of Christ three times. This ancient ritual has come down to us through the centuries and speaks to the significance of these faithful custodians of the Holy Sanctuaries in this land, who continue to dedicate their lives to the service of the Armenian church and the Armenian nation.

The services over, I slowly made my way back to the Vank (monastery), stopping on the way at Rex Jewelers, my Armenian friends, who found for me an antique blue stone (50 years old) that I have strung on one of my gold chain bracelets to keep me safe from evil eyes.