Syrian Bishop of Jerusalem, 1874

A carte-de-visite portrait of the Syrian Bishop of Jerusalem, who visited the Church Congress in 1874. That year, the annual meeting of the members of the Church of England was held at Brighton, under the presidency of the Bishop of Chichester.

According to a report in Oxford Journal (17 October 1874), 'The sittings of the Church Congress at Brighton were brought to a close on Friday the 9th inst. - The Patriarch of Antioch and the Bishop of Jerusalem visited the various objects of interest in Brighton during the Church Congress, and were especially pleased with the Aquarium and the Chain Pier. In the book for distinguished visitors, kept at the former place, the Patriarch wrote an inscription in Arabic, of which the following is a translation by the Bishop of Jerusalem: - "Ignatius, by the grace of God, the Patriarch of the Apostolic See of Antioch, who is (baptismally) Peter III, on the 24th Eloot, in the year 1874, visited Mr Reeves Smith, who did us great honour. We pray Almighty God to give him the most excellent recompense in the Heavenly Kingdom with the Saints, Amen. He who wrote this was our son, the Bishop Gregorious Addallah, the Syrian Bishop of Jerusalem, - Oct. 7, 1874."'

According to the Morning Post (5 October 1874), while they were in Brighton the Patriarch of Antioch and the Syrian Bishop of Jerusalem were the guests of surgeon and local politician Sir John Cordy Burrows.

Photographed by Samuel A. Walker of 64 Margaret Street, London.

A pencilled inscription verso in a period hand identifies the sitter and gives the date.