Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan Manougian has been elected as the 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem on Thursday, January 24, 2013.

The General Assembly of St. James Brotherhood of Jerusalem convened its 22nd session on 24th of January 2013. Thirty-three members of the Brotherhood of St. James in Jerusalem and from Dioceses abroad were present.

The General Assembly conducted the election by second secret ballot and as a result of which the Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem H.E. Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was elected as the 97th Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem by absolute majority.

Biographical Note:

Archbishop Nourhan Manougian (baptismal name Boghos) was born in Aleppo, Syria on 22 July 1948. He received his primary education in the Haigazian School of Aleppo.

In 1961 he entered the Theological Seminary of Antellias to start his theological education. In 1966 he entered the Jarangavortz Theological Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. On 27 July 1968 he was ordained to the diaconate.

In 1971 he was ordained a celibate priest by then Patriarch of Jerusalem Yeghishe Derderian and was given the priestly name of Nourhan. Following his ordination, he was appointed to serve as the Vice Dean of entered the Jarangavortz Theological Seminary from 1971 to 1972. In 1975 he was named as the Dean of the Seminary.

In 1972 and 1973 Father Nourhan continued his pastoral mission and served as the spiritual pastor of the Armenian faithful in Geneva, Switzerland. Father Nourhan received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet) in 1973.

Following his service in Europe, Father Nourhan returned to the Middle East and from 1974 to 1980 served as the spiritual pastor of the Armenian community of Haifa, Israel.

In 1980 at the invitation of then Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, he left for New York, New York and entered the General Theological Seminary, where he furthered his theological education. He graduated in 1983.

Remaining in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, in 1994, he served as the spiritual pastor of the St. Gevork Church in Houston, Texas.

In 1998 he returned to Jerusalem where he served as the Grand Sacristan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On 14 December 1999 he was consecrated as a Bishop by the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II. He was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin II in 2000.

In 2009, His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, designated Archbishop Nourhan as Patriarchal Vicar.