Jerusalem
Stored: Jerusalem
| Populated Place: Jerusalem | |
| 31.7683, 35.2137 | |
| Status (Church Vitality): | Active |
| Historic: | Yes |
| Type: | City |
| Country: | Israel |
| Subdivision: | Jerusalem District |
| Founded: | |
| Population: | 971000 |
| Catholic Population: | |
| Catholic Percentage: | 2% |
| Official Languages: | |
| Catholicism Introduced: | |
| Catholicism Status: | |
| Parishes: | 18 |
| Notable Catholic Sites: | Church of the Holy Sepulchre; Dominus Flevit; Basilica of the Agony (Gethsemane); Dormition Abbey; Church of St. Anne |
| Patron Saint: | Saint James the Less (Latin Patriarchate tradition) |
| Website: | https://www.jerusalem.muni.il |
Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Yerushalayim; Arabic: القُدس, al-Quds) is the spiritual and historical heart of the Abrahamic faiths, situated on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. With a municipal population of approximately 971,000 as of 2025 estimates, it is the proclaimed capital of the State of Israel and the seat of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic diocese that serves the Holy Land.[1] For Catholics, Jerusalem is the city where Our Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the Paschal Mystery—His Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension—making it the holiest place on earth and the ultimate destination of Christian pilgrimage.
History
Early Settlement
Jerusalem’s recorded history reaches back to the early Bronze Age (c. 3000 BC). King David captured the Jebusite city c. 1000 BC and made it Israel’s capital; Solomon built the First Temple. Christianity entered Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room on Mount Zion.
Catholic Evangelization
After the destruction of the Second Temple (70 AD), the early Christian community, led by Saint James the Less, first bishop of Jerusalem, continued to worship in house churches. The Emperor Hadrian’s rebuilding as Aelia Capitolina (135 AD) temporarily expelled Christians, but by the 4th century, following Constantine’s conversion, the Empress Saint Helena identified the sites of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was consecrated in 335 AD. The Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099–1187) saw the establishment of Western religious orders; the Franciscans received custody of the holy places in 1342 by papal bull, a mission they retain to this day as Custody of the Holy Land.
The Ottoman period (1517–1917) and subsequent British Mandate preserved Catholic presence amid restrictions. The Latin Patriarchate was restored in 1847 by Pope Pius IX, with Saint Joseph Valerga as the first residential patriarch since the Crusades.
Modern Faith Life
The 1948 and 1967 wars divided and then reunified the city, placing all major shrines under Israeli administration. As of 2025, the Latin Patriarchate reports 18 parishes in Jerusalem proper serving approximately 18,000 Latin-rite Catholics (2% of the city’s population), alongside Melkite, Maronite, Syriac, Chaldean, and Armenian Catholic communities.[2] The Custody of the Holy Land maintains 42 shrines and supports Catholic schools educating 18,000 students across Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Cyprus.
Geography and demographics
Jerusalem lies at 31°46′06″N 35°13′21″E, covering 125 square kilometres on a limestone plateau 750–800 metres above sea level. Its elevated terrain and ancient walls facilitate the traditional Palm Sunday procession from Bethphage to the Holy Sepulchre.
The 2025 municipal population is 971,000: 61% Jewish, 37% Muslim, 2% Christian (of whom Catholics form the largest denomination).[3] Hebrew and Arabic are official; Latin, French, and English are used in liturgy.
Parishes
The Latin Patriarchate lists 18 parishes within greater Jerusalem (including East Jerusalem). Notable parishes include:
- Co-Cathedral of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Latin Patriarchate seat, near the New Gate)
- St. Saviour Parish (Franciscan conventual parish, Old City)
- Terra Sancta Parish (Custody of the Holy Land headquarters)
- St. James Cathedral (Armenian Catholic, Old City)
- Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant (Abu Ghosh, Emmaus tradition)
- Dominus Flevit Parish (Mount of Olives)
- Church of All Nations – Basilica of the Agony (Gethsemane)
- Dormition Abbey Parish (Mount Zion, Benedictine)
- St. Peter in Gallicantu (site of Peter’s denial)
- Visitation Parish (Ein Karem)
Full directory: lpj.org/parishes
Government and culture
Jerusalem is governed by an Israeli municipality; East Jerusalem remains under contested sovereignty. The Status Quo agreement (1757/1852) regulates Christian holy places. Major Catholic feasts include the solemn Entry of the Latin Patriarch on Christmas Eve and the daily procession in the Holy Sepulchre led by the Franciscans.
Notable Catholic figures
- Saint James the Less (d. 62) – first bishop of Jerusalem; martyr.
- Saint Helena (c. 250–330) – discoverer of the True Cross.
- Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386) – Doctor of the Church; catechetical lectures.
- Saint Jerome (c. 347–420) – translated the Vulgate while living in Bethlehem (Jerusalem diocese).
- Saint Paula of Rome (347–404) – founded monasteries with Jerome.
- Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916) – lived as a hermit in Nazareth (Holy Land mission).
- Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa (b. 1965) – current Latin Patriarch since 2020.[4]
Related
References
- ↑ "Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem". GCatholic.org. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/jeru0.htm.
- ↑ "Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem – Statistics 2024". lpj.org. https://lpj.org.
- ↑ "Israel Central Bureau of Statistics – Localities 2025". cbs.gov.il. https://www.cbs.gov.il/en.
- ↑ "Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem". GCatholic.org. http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/diocese/jeru0.htm.