Greek liturgy in crusader Jerusalem: witnesses of liturgical life at the Holy Sepulchre and St Sabas Lavra

Abstract

ABSTRACTAlthough the arrival of the crusaders in Jerusalem in 1099 displaced the clergy, monks and faithful of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem from the holy sites that had been in their care for almost 800 years, they continued to pray and worship in the territory of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. This article examines two Greek liturgical manuscripts copied in Palestine during the twelfth century and seeks to contextualise their liturgical practices. The first manuscript, Hagios Stavros Gr. 43 (A.D. 1122), referred to as the ‘Anastasis Typikon’, is a hymnal for Holy Week and Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The second manuscript, Sinai Gr. 1096 (twelfth century), is a liturgical Typikon regulating services at the multi-lingual and multi-ethnic Lavra of Mar Sabas south-east of Jerusalem. While both manuscripts are significant witnesses to the development of the Byzantine rite, they also provide glimpses of the religious life of Greek-praying Christians under crusader rule.