A recent archaeological study in Jerusalem has shed light on the presence of an Armenian monastic community in the Holy City during the sixth and seventh centuries CE. Excavations in the Musrara neighborhood have uncovered four Armenian inscriptions, providing rare evidence of Armenian Christian life in the region during this period.
The inscriptions were found in various locations within a monastic complex believed to have been established between the fifth and sixth centuries CE, according to the study. They were inscribed on a mosaic floor, two tombstones, and a large pottery bowl.
These discoveries offer a new historical perspective, as there is no hint in the historical sources of the existence of this complex. Therefore, the archaeological discovery contributes new historical information concerning the Christian, and particularly Armenian settlement in Jerusalem in the seventh century CE.
The most striking of the inscriptions was discovered at the center of a mosaic floor within the reception hall of the monastery. The inscription, written in classical Armenian (Grabar), is a dedication by a priest named Ewstat‘, who laid the mosaic and requested prayers for himself and his brother Łoukas. The name Ewstat‘, derived from the Greek name Eustathius, is rare in Armenian historical records. The text also highlights the importance of commemorative prayers within Armenian Christian tradition.
Two tombstones, engraved with Armenian script, were also uncovered near the mosaic floor. One of these tombstones belonged to an individual named Petros of Sotk‘, a region in Armenia’s Siwnik‘ province. This suggests that members of the Armenian monastic community in Jerusalem may have originated from different parts of historic Armenia. The second tombstone, partially broken, bore the name Abel, though its full inscription remains uncertain.
Another remarkable find was an inscription scratched onto a pottery bowl. It consists of a series of Armenian letters forming an incomplete abecedarium (alphabet sequence), making it one of the earliest known Armenian alphabet inscriptions outside of Armenia. This suggests that literacy and scriptural study were important aspects of the Armenian monastic life in Jerusalem.
These discoveries provide crucial insights into the coexistence of Armenian and Greek monastic communities in Jerusalem. The presence of Armenian inscriptions within a Greek-speaking Christian environment suggests a period of religious and cultural interaction. The findings also raise questions about the extent of Armenian influence in Jerusalem’s monastic circles and their connection to broader theological debates of the time, including the divisions following the Council of Chalcedon in 451 CE.
The dating of the inscriptions, supported by archaeological evidence such as coins and paleographic analysis, places them in the second half of the seventh century CE. This aligns with a period when Armenian Christians maintained a significant presence in Jerusalem, despite growing political and religious changes following the Muslim conquest.
