Church of the Holy Archangels, Jerusalem

The Church of the Holy Archangels (Armenian: Սրբոց Հրեշտակապետաց եկեղեցի, romanized: Srbots Hreštakapetats yekeğetsi), also known as Deir ez-Zeitun (دير الزيتون Dayr az-Zaytūn, "Monastery of the Olive Tree"),^[2] is an Armenian Orthodox Christian church in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Church of the Holy Archangels

Location of Church of the Holy Archangels in a detailed map of the monastery compound^[1]

Traditions

According to a tradition, this site was the house of High Priest Annas, although earlier traditions also placed the house at different sites, such as on Jehoshaphat Street^[3] or on Mount Zion.^[4]

One of the chambers supposedly was the prison of Christ.^[5][6] However, the gospels have divergent accounts about whether Jesus was brought to Annas' or Caiaphas' house/court. Therefore, the Armenian Monastery of Saint Saviour (the "House of Caiaphas", also called Dair Habs al-Masih, lit. 'monastery of the Masīḥ's prison'^[7][8]) also claims to host a prison of Christ, where he was supposed to be held after the Sanhedrin trial.^[9][10]

History

The monastery was founded in the 12th or 13th century.^[11]