The Status Quo in the Holy Places

by Lionel George Archer Cust and Abdullah Effendi Kardus

Confidential.

NOTE.—The accounts of practice given in this Print are not to be taken as necessarily having official authority.

 

THE STATUS QUO
IN THE HOLY PLACES

BY

L. G. A. CUST,
formerly District Officer, Jerusalem.

 

With an Annexe on
The Status Quo in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem,
by Abdullah Effendi Kardus, M.B.E.,
formerly District Officer, Bethlehem Sub-District.

 

PRINTED FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF PALESTINE
BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.

Photographic reprint prepared by the

Israel State Archives

March 1968

INDEX.

Page.
Introduction		1
The Status Quo: its Origin and History till the Present Time		3
The Holy Places affected by the Status Quo and its General Principles		12
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre		13
	The Parvis	15
	The Entrance	17
	The Stone of Unction	19
	The Station of the Holy Women	20
	The Rotunda	20
	The Edicule	22
	The Chapel of St. Nicodemus	23
	The Choir or Katholikon	26
	The Commemorative Shrines	27
	Calvary	29
	The Upper Portions of the Holy Sepulchre	30
	The Convent of Deir al Sultan	30
The Sanctuary of the Ascension		33
The Tomb of the Virgin at Gethsemane		34
The Church of the Nativity		36
	The Parvis	38
	The Entrance Doorway	38
	The Narthex	39
	The Nave	39
	The Choir or Katholikon	40
	The Church of St. Nicholas	40
	The Armenian Church of the Nativity	40
	The Grotto	41
	The Manger	43
The Wailing Wall		43
Rachel’s Tomb		46
————————
The Status Quo in the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem		Annexe
	————————	Appendix.
The Mandate, Articles 13 and 14		A
The Palestine (Holy Places) Order in Council, 1924		B
The Ceremony of the Holy Fire		C
Bibliography		D

 

---

Confidential.

"The Status Quo in the Holy Places," by Mr. L. G. A. Cust.
Corrigenda and Addendum

The following alterations should be made in the Section relative to the "Wailing Wall" commencing on page 43.

At the beginning of the last paragraph on page 44, for the first seven words substitute "In certain Jewish circles, however, this right to pray has been."

After "but" in line 5 on page 45 the words "for a time" should be inserted and "were" substituted for "are" in the same line.

At the end of the first paragraph on page 45 the following new paragraphs should be inserted:—

After the disturbances of August, 1929, the High Commissioner issued provisional instructions, in the interests of order and decorum, for the observances at the Wall. By these instructions the Jews were forbidden to bring to the Wall any screens or curtains or any seating accommodation. It was provided, however, that, on the occasions of the feasts of the New Year and the Day of Atonement, a prayer mat of approved size might be brought by each Jewish worshipper and certain approved ritual appurtenances only might also be brought. The Moslems were required during and on the eve of Jewish Sabbaths and recognized Jewish Holy Days to ensure that the wooden door giving access from the pavement to Zawieh at the southern end of the Wall, shall remain locked, and to refrain from driving animals along the pavement before the Wall.

These instructions were to be effective only until the rights at the Wall of the two Communities should have been defined by an authoritative body.

A public announcement was made by the High Commissioner on the 23rd January, 1930, to the effect that the Council of the League of Nations, having agreed that the question of the rights and claims of Jews and Moslems with regard to the Wailing Wall urgently called for final settlement, had decided that the settlement should be entrusted to a Commission to consist of three members appointed by the Mandatory and approved by the Council of the League, who should not be of British nationality and at least one of whom should be a person of eminence qualified for the purpose by the judicial functions he has performed.

Steps are now being taken to appoint this Commission,

March, 1930.

(Upload an image to replace this placeholder.)

Orphaned Text

PLAN OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

Most of the church is in the possession of the three major denominations, Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian. The minor denominations -Copts, Syrians and Abyss inians - have very little property in the church and are dependent on the others.

The GREEK ORTHODOX hold possession of the major part of the church:

the main prayer hall (Katholicon, 56-59), most of the chapels of the ambu­latory (46,48, 54) part of the Calvary (65-67), the "Prison of Jesus" (45-47), and most of the rooms surrouding the Rotunda (18). They also possess most of the buildings surrounding the courtyard of the church (2-7).

The ROMAN CATHOLIC own part of the Calvary (64,68-71), the Chapel of Mary's Agony (11-12), the Chapel of the Invention of the Cross (51) and most of the northern part of the church (31-38,40-43).

The ARMENIANS own the Church of Helena (50, 52-53), the station of the Holy Women (17) and adjacent section (16), one room of the Rotunda (81), the Chapel of the Parting of the Raiment (49) and the Chapel of John (8).

The SYRIANS own the Tomb of Nicodemus and adjacent room (20, 22).

The COPTS claim jurisdiction over a small chapel behind the edicule of the Tomb (23), two rooms of the Rotunda (21), one room near the entrance of the church (15) and the Chapel of Michael (9).

The ABYSSINIANS have no possessions of any sort within the precincts of the church itself and hold their Easter services on the roof of Helena's Chapel (Deir al Sultan) around which they res de.

The courtyard of the church (1), the entrance, the Stone of Unction(62), the corridors surrounding the Katholikon and the Edicule and the Tomb itself (24) are common property.

Moslem custodians have a divan at the entrance (14).

PLAN OF THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION - ALTARS BELONGING TO THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES

1. Chapel of the Church of the Ascension

2. Mirhab

3. Stone with the "Foot Print" of Jesus

4. Altar of the Greek Orthodox

5. Altar of the Syrians

6. Altar of the Copts

7. Altar of the Armenians

PLAN OF THE CHURCH OF MARY

4. Tomb of Joseph? (Armenian)

5. Sacristy (Greek Orthodox)

6. Tomb of Anne? ( Greek Ortho­dox)

7. Tomb of Joachim? (Greek Ortho­dox)

8. Altar of the Greek Orthodox

9. Altar of the Copts 10. Sacristy of the Greek Orthodox

12. Altar of the Greek Orthodox

13. Atlar of the Syrians

14. Altar of the Syrians

15. Tomb of Mary (Greek Orthodox

and Armenian) 16-17. Mirhabs

18. Altar of the Greek Orthodox

19. Altar of the Greek Orthodox

CHURCH OF MARY