Church of Saint Thomas, Jerusalem

Not to be confused with the Crusader-period Church of St. Thomas "Alemannorum", now in ruins.

Church of Saint Thomas
Latin: Ecclesia Sancti Thomae
31.7847°N 35.2284°E / 31.7847; 35.2284
Location	Jerusalem
Denomination	Syriac Catholic Church
History
Dedication	Saint Thomas
Architecture
Completed	1986
Administration
Diocese	Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem

The Church of Saint Thomas (Latin: Ecclesia Sancti Thomae) is a Syriac Catholic church building located in the city of Jerusalem in the Holy Land. It serves as the cathedral and headquarters of the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem. The exarchate moved several times and is now at the House of Abraham (French: Maison d'Abraham) at Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem.

History

The Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem was created in 1890 after the Syriac Catholic Church accepted the Pope in Rome as its head in 1782. The Syriac Catholic Church is thus one of the first communities in Christianity. It had shares the Liturgy of Saint James and the Syriac language spoken by Jesus and the apostles. Saint Thomas was the apostle who preached in Mesopotamia (now Iraq and north of Syria and south of Turkey).^[1]

The wars and revolutions that took place between 1900 and 1973 caused the headquarters of the exarchate to be moved several times.^[2] In 1948, it had its center at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem's Old City, then moved to Bethlehem, and 1965 again to Jerusalem. In 1986, the Church of Saint Thomas was built at Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem, along with other facilities, including a building for pilgrims and a youth center.^[3]

See also

• Catholic Church in Israel
• Catholic Church in Palestine

References

1. "The Catholic Church Of The Holy Land » Syro-Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem". catholicchurch-holyland.com. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
2. St. Thomas Church in Jerusalem
3. Cheney, David M. "Jerusalem {Gerusalemme} (Patriarchal Exarchate) [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2016-05-20.