In a previous episode with Apo Sahagian, we talked about the Armenian community in Jerusalem. This episode is a deeper dive into the history of the Armenians and their presence in the holy land in general and in Jerusalem in particular.
The newly renovated Edward and Helen Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem offers a wealth of stories about the Armenians of Jerusalem.
A key attraction is the sixth century mosaic floor that was found in the Musrara neighborhood while a Palestinian family was putting the pillar of a house in 1894. The mosaic had been part of an ancient Armenian convent, Saint Polyeuctus, one of the 72 Armenian convents that the holy land used to have.
The Armenian inscription on the mosaic says: in memory and salvation of all Armenian martyrs whose names only God knows.
The museum is divided into two floors, the ground floor tells the history of the Armenians from the first century BC to present day. The second floor tells the history of the Armenian genocide, the first genocide of the 20th century.
The building in which the museum is housed, sheltered hundreds of children who became orphans due to the genocide.
You can find the museum on Facebook: Helen and Edward Mardigian Armenian Museum of Jerusalem
Phone: 00 972 2 6328807
E-mail: mamjerusalem@gmail.com
Opening hours: from 9.00 til 16.00
Closed on Sundays and Mondays
Address: Armenian Patriarchate Road, across the Armenian parking lot