During excavations for the construction of a new, broader road on the number one highway in Jerusalem near Musrara, a monastic complex dating at the period of Byzantine’s existence was discovered, meaning that it is a 5th-7th-century complex.

Initially, outer territory of a church, an underground tomb, and an apse with Greek inscriptions were discovered. During the expansion of the excavation zone in the rest of the complex, a building with a large main hall was found, which probably served as a living room or refectory.

Another find was a round medallion with an inscription. On the mosaic, there was a patina layer, which made it difficult for the writing to be read. Researchers at first assumed that the inscriptions were in Greek, like most of those that had been found during excavations in Israel.

But as the archaeologists cleaned the artifact, they realized that the inscriptions were in Armenian.

Armenians in Jerusalem

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