Gerasimus I of Jerusalem

Gerasimus I of Jerusalem
Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, in Journey through the Middle East and Egypt by Richard Polack in 1895-1896.
Born	1839
Died	1897
Nationality	Greek
Occupation	Clergyman

Gerasimus I (1839-1897) was Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (1886-1891) and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem[1] from March 11, 1891, to February 21, 1897.[2] It was during his administration as Patriarch of Jerusalem that the full significance of the mosaic map found on the church floor in Madaba was understood. In 1885, Gerasimus was the Bishop of Scythopolis, a city just south of the Sea of Galilee. He was occupied with defending the Orthodox faithful in the towns of Husn and Karak from missionaries when, on June 19, 1885, he learned that he had been elected to the see of Antioch. On January 27, 1890, the patriarch of Jerusalem, Nikodemus, resigned and Patriarch Gerasimus was elected his successor as Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Madaba

At the time he came to lead the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, efforts were underway to restore a church in the community of Madaba in which was found a mosaic map[3] on the floor of an ancient church, now the Church of St. George. Realizing the importance of this discovery, Patriarch Gerasimus took action to have the archaeological find properly investigated and preserved. Gerasimus was also confronted with the activities of the Russian Orthodox Palestinian Society in Palestine that had been ignoring the historical presence of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Their actions led him to increase construction of schools to neutralize the efforts of the Russian society.

See also

• Gerasimus of the Jordan, 5th century saint
• Gerasimus I of Constantinople, 14th century Patriarch
• Gerasimus of Kefalonia, patron saint of Kefalonia, Greece

References

1. Jerusalem Patriarchate website, Apostolic Succession section
2. "A. Mertens, "Who was a Christian in the Holy Land?" - Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
3. "The Discovery of the Madaba Mosaic Map. Mythology and Reality". Archived from the original on 2 December 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2020.

Literature

• Hage, Wolfgang (2007). Das orientalische Christentum. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer Verlag. ISBN 9783170176683.

External links

• Primates of the Apostolic See of Antioch

Preceded by Hierotheos of Antioch	Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch 1885–1891	Succeeded by Spyridon of Antioch
Preceded by Nicodemus I of Jerusalem	Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem 1891–1897	Succeeded by Damian I of Jerusalem