A Door on North Side of Chapel of St. Helena Leads to Chapel of St. Vartan
A door on the north side of the Chapel of St. Helena leads to the Chapel of St. Vartan, an Armenian chapel. This area was just discovered and excavated in the 1970s. The finds include remnants of walls built by Hadrian in the 2nd century, one of which contains this stone with a celebrating drawing of a merchant ship with the inscription DOMINE IVIMVS, "Lord we shall go." This drawing probably dates from before the completion of Constantine's church (c.330); some scholars even suggest the 2nd century. Unfortunately, this Armenian chapel is locked and not normally open to the public. (See Finding the Keys to the Chapel of St. Vartan for one scholar's adventure in gaining access.)
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