Saint Nicholas Monastery, Jaffa
{{Infobox religious building
|building_name = Saint Nicholas Monastery
Սուրբ Նիկողայոս Վանք Հայոց
מנזר ניקולאס הקדוש
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|image = Israel-2013-Jaffa 20-Saint Nicholas Monastery.jpg
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|caption = Entrance to Saint Nicholas Monastery
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|location = Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel
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|religious_affiliation= Armenian Apostolic Church
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|architecture_style = Armenian
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Saint Nicholas Monastery ({{langx|hy|Սուրբ Նիկողայոս Վանք Հայոց}}, {{langx|he|מנזר ניקולאס הקדוש}}) is an Armenian monastery built in the first millennium AD. Located in Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel, near the harbour and facing the Mediterranean, the monastery consists of a large multi-story complex that includes an Armenian church and living quarters. The monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which rents out parts of the complex for residential and commercial purposes.
The monastery is the setting of the Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa painting by Antoine-Jean Gros depicting Napoleon visiting his sick soldiers in the monastery's courtyard.{{cite book |last1= Zafran |first1= Eric |last2= Resendez |first2= Sydney |year= 1998 |title= French Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Artists born before 1790 |location= Boston |publisher= Museum of Fine Arts Boston |page= 189 |isbn= 0878464611}}
History
Founded before AD 1000, the monastery was named for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The church gave shelter to pilgrims and seamen looking for a rest on their journey for many centuries. In the 18th century, the monastery was expanded and fortified.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
During the Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt, the French army requested the aid of the Armenian priests at the monastery. The clerics used their secret medicines to cure some of the soldiers. Napoleon personally thanked the Armenian patriarch and gifted him with his own tent and sword. His visit to the monastery was depicted in the Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa painting by Antoine-Jean Gros.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
Gallery
Image:Entrance to the Church of St.Nicholas.jpg|The stone plaque at the entrance to the church gives information in four languages
Image:View on the Church of St.Nicholas.jpg|The waterfront facade of the complex
Image:Saint Nicholas monastery, Jaffa, Israel.jpg|The monastery courtyard situated at the upper floor level
Image:The Cross-stones.jpg|The khachkar (lit. "cross-stone") in the courtyard
File:Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa.jpg|Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa, by Antoine-Jean Gros
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons cat|Saint Nicolas Monastery in Jaffa}}
{{Armenian Churches}}