The Status of the Monastery of the Cross in Jerusalem in the Firman issued by Sultan Suleiman I in 1538 and its Consequences

Abstract

Sultan Selim I (1512-1520) in 1517 issued a decree by which the churches and monasteries, among which the “Gurjs' Monastery of the Cross” is named, were transferred and remained under the authority of the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem Dorotheos II Atala (1505-1537).

Sultan Suleiman I (1520-1566) in 1538 presented a firman to Patriarch Germanos of Jerusalem (1537-1579). In this firman, the churches and monasteries of Jerusalem are named in the same order as in the firman issued by Selim I in 1517, except that the Jvari (Cross) Monastery is referred to as the “Jvari Monastery of the Mingrelian - Gurjs”. 

Naturally, the following questions arise: 1. When did it happen, and what caused this change? 2. What impact did the new status have on the Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross?

The research revealed: The king of Imereti, Bagrat III (1510-1565), in 1535 annexed Samtskhe to Imereti, and gave Adjara and Chaneti to Gurieli. This fact caused discontent of Levan Dadiani – "duke" of Odishi. He visited Sultan Suleiman between 1535 and 1538 and pledged allegiance to him. In return, the Sultan confirmed Levan Dadiani’s right to the Jvari Monastery. For this reason, Levan Dadiani later refused Bagrat III to participate in the battles against the Ottomans in 1543 and 1545.

The disagreements between the Georgian kings and rulers also affected the Georgian churches and monasteries in Jerusalem. In the second half of the 16th century, the Georgians lost several monasteries. The Cross Monastery was in dire economic straits due to increased taxes by the Ottoman authorities. From the beginning of the 17^th century, in the Cross monastery, two igumens have been confirmed – one from Eastern Georgia, the other from Western Georgia. It is possible that the firman of 1538 became the basis for the appointment of two igumens in the Cross Monastery.  However, this issue has yet to be clarified.