Deir es-Sultan

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Monastery of the Sultan
Deir Es-Sultan IMG 0095.jpg
Deir es-Sultan is located in Israel
Deir es-Sultan
Location within Israel
Monastery information
Other namesDeir Al-Sultan
Established335
Dedicated toArchangel Michael & the Four Incorporeal Creatures
DioceseCoptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem
People
Founder(s)Saint Constantine the Great
Site
LocationOld City (Jerusalem)
Coordinates31°46′42″N 35°13′47″E / 31.778444°N 35.22975°E / 31.778444; 35.22975Coordinates: 31°46′42″N 35°13′47″E / 31.778444°N 35.22975°E / 31.778444; 35.22975
Public accessYes

The Monastery of the Sultan (Arabic: دير السلطان‎, romanized: Deir Al-Sultan, lit. 'Monastery of the Sultan') is a monastery located on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Status Quo, a 250-year old understanding between religious communities, applies to the site.[1][2]

History[]

Deir es-Sultan is one of several holy sites in the area which are contested by various Christian denominations.[3] The monastery is located on the roof of the Helena Chapel, an underground chapel that is part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre complex, and has an entrance leading down to the Parvis (the Church courtyard). The monastery covers an area of 1,800 square meters.[citation needed]

According to the Coptic Church, Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan granted the church to the Copts, to be named as "Deir el-Malak" (Angel Monastery), which was later confirmed by Saladin, after it was confiscated by the Crusaders, to be renamed as "Deir es-Sultan".[4] Later on, the Ethiopian monks were hosted by the Copts in 1654, as their churches in Jerusalem were acquired by the Greek and Armenian Churches due to the inability to pay taxes.[4]

The Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II granted the Ethiopians the right to set up a large tent on the roof of the Holy Sepulcher to celebrate Easter.[5]

During the Easter Vigil in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on April 25, 1970, the Israeli government sent military forces to change the locks of the monastery to enable the Ethiopian monks to take control of it. Afterwards, the Israeli Supreme Court unanimously approved the restoration of the monastery to the Copts on March 16, 1971, yet the government refused to implement the Supreme Court ruling.[4]

In October 2018, a Coptic priest was arrested following protests against the restoration efforts of the monastery without Coptic Church's consent.[6] In April 2021, clashes erupted between Egyptian and Ethiopian monks, as the latter set a tent and raised the Ethiopian flag inside the monastery.[7]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ UN Conciliation Commission (1949). United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine Working Paper on the Holy Places.
  2. ^ Cust, L. G. A. (1929). The Status Quo in the Holy Places. H.M.S.O. for the High Commissioner of the Government of Palestine.
  3. ^ Johan D. Van Der Vyver; John J. Witte (1996). Religious Human Rights in Global Perspective: Legal Perspectives. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. pp. 380–. ISBN 978-90-411-0177-8. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Deir Es-Sultan Monastery's mediation by Greek Church unsuccessful: Egypt Pope". Egypt Independent. 6 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Ethiopiens, les exclus du Saint-Sépulcre". la-croix.com (in French). 4 April 2010.
  6. ^ "غضب قبطي بعد "اعتداء اسرائيلي" على دير السلطان بالقدس". Sky News Arabia (in Arabic). 24 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Egyptian, Ethiopian churches clash over Deir al-Sultan in Jerusalem". Al-Monitor. 8 May 2021.

External links[]

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