The Armenian Church
The Armenian Church is an independent Christian church, also known as the Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Church. Its head is the Catholicos,
who resides at Holy Etchmiadzin, near Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.
Christianity was declared the state religion of Armenia in AD 301. Armenia
thus became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion.
This was largely due to the efforts of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Born
a nobleman, he converted Armenia's king Tiridates III, who had formerly
persecuted the Christians. Conversion of the rest of the population soon
followed. It was St. Gregory who built the Mother Church at Etchmiadzin
in AD 303.
Until the 5th century, Christian worship in Armenia was conducted in
Greek or Syriac, since there was no Armenian alphabet, hence no written
language. In AD 404, St. Mesrob (at that time a monk) completed an alphabet
of 36 letters. His objective was to translate the Bible into Armenian,
and the golden age of classical Armenian literature began shortly thereafter.
Persia reduced Armenia to vassaldom and in AD 450 issued a decree ordering
all Christians to embrace the Zoroastrian religion. The Armenians, under
Prince Vartan Mamigonian, rose in revolt. This culminated in the Battle
of Avarayr. Vartan lost the battle, but under the leadership of his nephew,
Vahan, the Armenians continued the war for 30 years. They won a decisive
victory through a peace accord in AD 484, and Armenian Christianity survived.
St. Vartan Day-which is celebrated in February of each year-commemorates
the battle and is a major Armenian holiday.
The Armenian Church has traditionally maintained two patriarchates: one
in Jerusalem and another in Istanbul. In Jerusalem, the Armenian Patriarchate
is the guardian of the Holy Places in the possession of the Armenians.
It is also one of the three principal custodians of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre and other important shrines and sanctuaries in the Holy
Land. The Patriarchate of Constantinople serves a community of approximately
50,000 Armenians living in Istanbul.
Holy Etchmiadzin remains the central spiritual authority for millions
of Armenian Christians living in diaspora communities around the globe.
In recent years, the Armenian Church has taken an active role in the ecumenical
dialogue among the clergy of all faiths.
The Church entered its most recent era of leadership on October 27, 1999,
when Armenian Christians elected His Holiness Karekin II as the 132nd
Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, pontiff of the worldwide
Armenian Church. He succeeded the deceased Catholicos Karekin I, who died
in late June 1999 after leading the church for 4 years.
St. Gregory the Illuminator
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the pre-eminent center of authority
in the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Church. Located near the capital of
Yerevan in the Republic of Armenia, it is composed of (a) the Mother Cathedral
of the entire Armenian Church; (b) a monastery and monastic brotherhood;
(c) the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians; and (d) various
religious and cultural institutions, such as the Kevorkian Theological
Seminary and a museum.
The cathedral dates back to the 4th century, and is reckoned the oldest
Christian cathedral in world. Although the current sanctuary was erected
in the 1600s, remnants of the 4th-century altar have been unearthed beneath
the present structure.
In its capacity as the residence of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
(the pontiff of the Armenian Church) of All Armenians, Holy Etchmiadzin
is known as the “Catholicate of All Armenians.” It became the
seat of the Catholicate of the entire Armenian nation in the 4th
century, following the conversion of King Tiridates III to Christianity
by St. Gregory the Illuminator in ad 301.
According to the chronicler Agathangelos, soon after Armenia’s conversion
to Christianity, St. Gregory had a vision of the Son of God. Appearing
as a heroic figure of light surrounded by a mighty angelic host, Christ
struck the ground with a golden hammer, indicating the place where
the Mother Cathedral of the new Christian nation was to be established.
The name Etchmiadzin—literally, “where the Only Begotten descended”—refers
to this episode.
Gregory was formally designated as the supreme head of the Church, and
was sent to Caesarea to be ordained a bishop. He thus became the first
in an unbroken line of 131 catholicoi (or “universal bishops”)
of the Armenian Church. He built the first Christian cathedral in Vagharshapat,
near Mount Ararat, then the capital of Armenia. Having accomplished his
mission and advanced in age, he then retired from active life to live
as a hermit until his death.
Source: Armenian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The Armenian Renaissance of the 19th Century
The renaissance of the Armenians at the start of the nineteenth century, after
"the deep sleep of bondage and degradation," was possible only because the Armenian Church,
the depository of patriotism and faith, had preserved the old culture. It was the church which
revived and protected "the soul of the Armenian people while waiting for the day of resurrection."
Source: " The Armenians - History of a Genocide" By Yves Ternon
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