General Assembly of the Brotherhood of Sts. James – XVth Session
The General Assembly of the Brotherhood of Sts. James was convened on September 24, 2025, in the Assembly Hall of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The meeting opened with prayer under the presidency of His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. Twenty-eight members of the Brotherhood were present.
In his address, His Beatitude encouraged the brethren “to remain faithfully attached to the Holy See with unwavering love and fraternal solidarity, and to face all challenges together in unity.”
The Assembly dedicated its sessions entirely to the issue of the lease of the “Cows’ Garden (Armenian Garden)” property. The Director of Real Estate Bishop Koryun Baghdasaryan and the Patriarchate’s legal counsel presented in detail the background of the 2021 contract, the subsequent judicial proceedings, and the Settlement and Addendum proposed through mediation. In the evening session, further details were presented concerning the legal process and perspectives of the Armenian Community. After lengthy and in-depth deliberations, it was proposed to reject the Addendum and Settlement Agreement, and to reaffirm the canonical and exclusive authority of the General Assembly.
After discussions, the General Assembly of the Brotherhood, by majority decision REAFFIRMED;
1. The declarations of October 27, 2021, and November 15, 2021, by the Brotherhood Members, which condemned the transaction as illegal.
2. That the Lease Agreement concerning the “Cows’ Garden” signed on July 8, 2021, is illegal, uncanonical, and null and void, as it was signed without the approval of the General Assembly.
3. To reject the Addendum and the Settlement Agreement obtained through mediation.
4. AND appointed a committee of five clergymen to work in consultation with the legal counsel in continuing the cancellation lawsuit against “Xana Gardens” Ltd..
Bishop Theodoros Zakaryan
Vice-Chairman of the General Assembly
Fr. Serovbe Antonyan
Vice-Secretary of the General Assembly
Jerusalem, September 25, 2025
