Armenian Orthodox Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs

The present cathedral-church was completed in 1869 on the site of an earlier church which dated from 1491 and which had replaced a small chapel in the extra-mural Christian cemetery (Fig. 2). The 1491 church was enlarged when the cemetery was removed in 1616. The present-day church is a five-nave hall church (Fig. 3). All traces of the original church which probably lay in the south eastern corner of the actual structure would today be covered by its subsequent building, which was itself extensively restored in the second half of the 20th century.[1] The enclosure remains the headquarters of the Armenian Archdiocese based in Aleppo and is the central element of an extensive complex.

Today’s church houses a number of paintings. In addition to Armenian paintings from the 17^th to the 19^th centuries, there are pieces from 16^th- and 17^th-century Italy, and notable examples of the Aleppo school of icon painting of the 18th century, including a monumental “Last Judgment” scene in the north aisle of the cathedral, painted by Niʿma ibn Yusuf al-Musawwir in 1708 (Fig. 4).[2] The ornate bell tower, with its square and octagonal upper storeys, was added in 1912.

The church developed an even larger footprint outside this compound over the years, including the construction of the sizeable “Hokedoun” or spiritual rest house for priests and those undertaking the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The building was founded in 1624. The building has since lost its original purpose and has been remodelled to serve as a shopping complex, which now provides an additional passage from Tilal street into the Judayda Quarter from the west.

While the church itself and its bell tower appear to have emerged from the recent conflict without serious damage, an annexe building on the southern side of the courtyard has largely collapsed. Restoration work has been completed.

Armenian Orthodox Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs

Footnotes