Church of Saint George (Tulkarm)
The Church of Saint George (Arabic: كنيسة القديس جاورجيوس) it is a historic Christian Orthodox church located in Tulkarm, in the West Bank, in the State of Palestine.[2] Its dedicated to Saint George.[3] It is one of the oldest churches in Palestine, and several countries participated in its building and restoration. It is one of the Christian orthodox churches in the West Bank,[4] and one of the main churches in Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.[5][6]
| Church of Saint George, Tulkarm | |
|---|---|
كنيسة القديس جاورجيوس، طولكرم | |
Church of Saint George in Tulkarm | |
| 32°18′45″N 35°1′36″E / 32.31250°N 35.02667°E | |
| Location | Tulkarm, West Bank |
| Country | State of Palestine |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox Church |
| History | |
| Status | Active, in service |
| Founded | 1830 |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Ottoman architecture, Greek architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 1830 |
| Completed | 1830 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Administration | |
| Presbytery | Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem |
| Diocese | Tulkarm |
| Clergy | |
| Abbot | Archimandrite Leontios[1] |
History edit
Church of Saint George in Tulkarm built in 1830 in the early 19th century.[7][8] The Church contains a wall of historical and archaeological memorial icons made in 1943 by the Hellenic Army during their presence in Palestine during the Second World War.[7]
With events of the Nakba; the United Nations was quick on 8 April 1949, to confirm that Tulkarm Orthodox Church is one of the Christian holy places in Palestine, and confirmed that Tulkarm Orthodox Church as a Holy Place under the guardianship of the Greek Orthodox Church. The United Nations and its General Assembly called on all parties to the conflict to protect all holy sites in the Palestinian territories, and to ensure free access to them.[9]
The number of Orthodox Christians in Tulkarm in 1967 reached about 1,000 Orthodox Christians before the number decreased due to the political situations.[10]
Renovation edit
In 1890 the church was completely restored, in 1914 it was restored by Greece, and it was restored by United Kingdom before World War II, and in 1942 it was restored again by Greece, and it was also restored in the years 1952 and 1967. In 2006 the entire church was renovated.[11]
In 2015, the UNESCO and the Government of Sweden renovated two of the buildings inside the church, under the supervision of the Palestinian National Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation (CCHP), and the Municipality of Tulkarm.[12][13][14][15]
Today edit
All Christian religious events are held in the church; Christmas, Lent, Easter, and others. Christian events important in the church are chaired by Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem or by archbishop Theodosios (Hanna).[16][17][18][19][20][21]
Every year on Christmas, an official delegations from the Palestinian National Authority visits the church to offer congratulations of Christmas.[22][23][24]
References edit
- ^ "Holy Churches of the West Bank". Jerusalem Patriarchate. from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "εία Λειτουργία στο Τουλκάρεμ". Exapsalmos (in Greek). 2 April 2014. from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Patriarch of Jerusalem officiates in Tulkarm". Serbian Orthodox Church. 9 April 2014. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Holy Churches of the West Bank". Jerusalem Patriarchate. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Святые Храмы Западного берега". Jerusalem Patriarchate (in Russian). from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Ἱεροί Ναοί Δυτικῆς Ὄχθης". Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem (in Greek). from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ a b "غبطة البطريرك يترأس القداس الإلهي في مدينة طولكرم". Jerusalem Patriarchate (in Arabic). 30 March 2014. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "PCHR Condemns Attacks on Palestinian Churches". The Electronic Intifada. 17 September 2006. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "The Holy Places in Palestine". The United Nations. 8 April 1949. from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ Wallman, Johnny (2016). Zahal; A Love Story. Black Sparrow Press. p. 94. ISBN 9781326759162.
- ^ "طولكرم: "الروم الأرثوذكس" ستقرع أجراسها مجددًا بعد أعمال التأهيل". Fajertv (in Arabic). 18 November 2015. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "توقيع اتفاقية ترميم غرفتين في كنيسة الروم الأرثوذكس بطولكرم" (in Arabic). 5 November 2015. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "توقيع اتفاقية ترميم غرفتين في كنيسة الروم الأرثوذكس بطولكرم". Alwatanvoice (in Arabic). 4 November 2015. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "بلدية طولكرم توقع اتفاقية تعاون لترميم مرافق كنيسة طولكرم". Fajertv (in Arabic). 4 November 2015. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "توقيع اتفاقية ترميم غرفتين في كنيسة الروم الأرثوذكس بطولكرم". Salamtv (in Arabic). 5 November 2015. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "His Beatitude The Patriarch of Jerusalem Officiates in Tulkarm". Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. 30 March 2014. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Θεία Λειτουργία στο Τουλκάρεμ". Romfea (in Greek). 2 April 2014. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Патријарх јерусалимски служио у Тулкарму". Српска православна црква (in Serbian). 9 April 2014. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "الزيارة الرعوية الأولى لبطريرك القدس لمدينة طولكرم". Wafa (in Arabic). 10 September 2006. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "قداس اللاهي مع طائفة طولكرم". Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem (in Arabic). 10 February 2013. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "سيادة المطران عطا الله حنا يزور كنيسة طولكرم بمناسبة الصوم". alArab (in Arabic). 28 February 2012. from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "المحافظ أبو بكر يزور كنيسة الروم الأرثوذكس بطولكرم". alwatanvoice (in Arabic). 31 December 2018. from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "الشرطة تقدم التهاني للطائفة المسيحية بمناسبة حلول أعياد الميلاد المجيدة في طولكرم" (in Arabic). 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "قوات الأمن الوطني طولكرم تقدم التهاني للمسيحيين في مدينة طولكرم بمناسبة عيد الميلاد المجيد ورأس السنة". Khabar24 (in Arabic). 21 January 2021. from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.