Since the 4th century Armenians have been present in the Holy Land. Succeeding the first hermits of the Judean desert, the monks settled by building a chapel, then monasteries near the Holy Places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. For nearly 1,700 years, they have lived an intense life of prayer and welcome Armenian pilgrims. Today the Monastery of St. James, and the Armenian quarter that surrounds it, represents almost 20% of the territory of the old city.