Yeghishe Tourian of Jerusalem

Who is Yeghishe Tourian of Jerusalem?

Patriarch Yeghishe Tourian was Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem serving Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1929. He took over the position after the patriarchate position remained vacant for 11 years.

Born in Constantinople as Mihran Tourian, was the younger brother of famous Western Armenian poet and playwright Bedros Tourian. He was a staunch believer in education. In Constantinople, he published a series of textbooks for teaching of Armenian Ընթացք ի գրոց բարբառ, with first volume in 1880 and second volume in 1883, Ընտիր ասացվածք օտարազգի նշանավոր անձանց, Պատմություն հայ մատենագրության. In 1909 he published his poems, and regularly contributed to Armenological studies in various publication under the title Հովվական սրինգ.

He was the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople from 1909-10. Then moved to Jerusalem were 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. In 1929, the unified elementary school officially opened its doors. By consolidating disparate locations, including the St. Gayane Girl's School, this new elementary school became the primary Armenian co-educational institution in the Holy Land and was renamed "School of the Holy Translators".