Grigor Paron-Ter
Encyclopedia
Grigor Paron-Ter was the Armenian
Patricarch of Jerusalem. He reigned from 1613 to 1645. During his tenure, the Ottoman Empire
was in crisis, which also impacted the Armenian people and Armenian Jerusalem. Even before entering into religious service, Paron-Ter, a native of Gandzak
in Eastern Armenia
, had campaigned to eliminate the burdensome debts of the patriarchate. He was able to secure major contributions, not only from Van
, New Julfa
, and Aleppo
but also from places such as Urfa, and Bitlis
, virtually encouraging their competition to erase the debt. During his thirty-two-year patriarchal reign, Paron-Ter expanded the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, acquiring new properties, organizing pilgrimages and creating a spiritual atmosphere within the monastery. Almost half of the present residential quarters of the Armenian monastery of St. James in Jerusalem were built during his rule.
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
Patricarch of Jerusalem. He reigned from 1613 to 1645. During his tenure, the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
was in crisis, which also impacted the Armenian people and Armenian Jerusalem. Even before entering into religious service, Paron-Ter, a native of Gandzak
Gandzak
Gandzak may refer to:* Gandzak, Armenia - a village in Armenia* The old Persian name for Ganja, Azerbaijan* An alternative spelling of Ganzak, Iran....
in Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia or Caucasian Armenia was the portion of Ottoman Armenia and Persian Armenia that was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829...
, had campaigned to eliminate the burdensome debts of the patriarchate. He was able to secure major contributions, not only from Van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
, New Julfa
New Julfa
New Julfa is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the river Zayandeh River....
, and Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
but also from places such as Urfa, and Bitlis
Bitlis
Bitlis is a town in eastern Turkey and the capital of Bitlis Province. The town is located at an elevation of 1,400 metres, 15 km from Lake Van, in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis River, a tributary of the Tigris. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural products which include...
, virtually encouraging their competition to erase the debt. During his thirty-two-year patriarchal reign, Paron-Ter expanded the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, acquiring new properties, organizing pilgrimages and creating a spiritual atmosphere within the monastery. Almost half of the present residential quarters of the Armenian monastery of St. James in Jerusalem were built during his rule.