Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus


The Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, also known as the Holy Name of Jesus Co-Cathedral, is the co-cathedral, or technical cathedra of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, about halfway between the New Gate and the Jaffa Gate, within the Old City walls.

History

In 1847 the Ottoman Empire allowed the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to build a new cathedral in Palestine. The Co-Cathedral, completed in 1872, is part of the building complex of the Latin Patriarchate, effectively the bishop's church. For historical reasons, however, the Catholic Church has the Church of the Holy Sepulchre officially being the cathedral.

Description

In neo-Gothic style, the church has a floor plan of a Greek cross with a length of 28 meters and a width of 24 meters. The three-aisled church has an 8.5 metres wide nave, and the side aisles have a width of 4.5 metres; these are overbuilt with galleries. The church has four decorated stained glass windows, marking the ends of the cross. Three of them have the same shape: the window above the high altar represents the risen Christ as victor over death, the window on the left shows the Crucifixion, and the window on the right depicts the Adoration of the Magi. The rear window over the entrance is a large rose window and represents the Four Evangelists. The church has five altars, three in the nave and the two aisles and two smaller ones at the ends of the transept.