Yeghishe Tourian (; 23 February 1860 – 27 April 1930) was
Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1929. He took over the position after the
patriarchate
Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...
position remained vacant for 11 years (1910–1921).
Biography
Born in
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
on the Asia side of the
Bosporus
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...
as Mihran Tourian, he was the younger brother of Armenian poet and playwright
Bedros Tourian. He was a staunch believer in education. In
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, he published a series of textbooks for the teaching of Armenian (), with first volume in 1880 and second volume in 1883, ''Select Sayings of Noted Foreigners'' (, 1882), ''History of Armenian Literature'' (, 1885). In 1909 he published his poems, and regularly contributed to Armenian Studies in various publication under the nom de plume ('Pastoral Reed').
He was the
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
from 1909–10. He later moved to Jerusalem where he was consecrated as Patriarch. He engaged in vast educational reform and in 1925, established a unified elementary school to accommodate the growing number of children in the community. He also modernized the curriculum of the Armenian Seminary and acquiring highly qualified instructors from the cadre of talented teachers and educators who had come to Jerusalem as refugees after the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
. In 1929, the unified elementary school officially opened its doors. By consolidating disparate locations, including the St. Gayane Girls' School, this new elementary school became the primary Armenian co-educational institution in the
Holy Land
The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...
and was renamed the School of the Holy Translators (in Armenian ''Srbots Targmanchats Varzharan'').
Starting 1927, he resumed the publication of ''
Sion'', the official organ of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. His collections and writings were published in Jerusalem in a multi-volume series by "Matenashar Tourian" dedicated to his name. It also contained some of his poems under the title ''Holy Lyre'' (''Srpazan Knar'').
He was appointed honorary
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(KBE) in the British
1930 New Year Honours.
Torkom Koushagian wrote a lengthy study about his legacy first in a series in Cairo Armenian daily ''
Arev'' and later in a separate publication in Jerusalem.
Tourian was succeeded as patriarch by Torkom Koushagian.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourian, Yeghishe
People from Üsküdar
Armenian Patriarchs of Jerusalem
19th-century writers from the Ottoman Empire
20th-century poets from the Ottoman Empire
Armenian-language writers
1860 births
1930 deaths
Armenian Patriarchs of Constantinople
Armenian Apostolic Christians
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
20th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops
Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire