One of the four seasonal fasting periods, defined by the Armenian Apostolic Church, is the fasting period preceding the beginning of summer (northern hemisphere). This fasting period, as well as the other ones preceding the other seasons of the year, is not a preparation for any feast. According to tradition it is called Elijah’s fast,…
St Nersess was an Armenian Catholicos (Patriarch) who lived in the 4th century and was the great grandson of St Gregory the Illuminator. His father, Athenogenes, and his uncle, Bab, who were next in line for the succession to the Throne of St Gregory, were laymen and had no desire to become priests. As professional…
This is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the feast of Discovery of St Gregory the Illuminator’s relics, in the 5th century. The week long fast lasts from Monday to Friday.
King Kostandianos (Constantine) was born in the city of Nish, in the former Yugoslavia. He is one of the most prominent figures of the Roman Empire. It was he who officially released the Church from persecutions lasting more than 250 years and in 313 A.D. By the Encyclical of Milan he proclaimed Christianity to be…
The relics of St Gregory the Illuminator (Lousavorich) are one of our most revered within the Armenian Church, as well as all Christian Churches. The discovery of the relics of St Gregory the Illuminator is one of the three significant feast days dedicated to the memory of the Patron Saint of Armenia and the impact…
The Prophet Daniel (meaning God is my Judge), is one of the four great prophets of the Old Testament. Nearly all that is known concerning the Prophet is derived from the book ascribed to him, which dates back to the VII-VI centuries B.C. Daniel and his youthful companions Shadrach (Setrak), Meshach (Misak) and Abednego (Apetnakov)…
Catholicos St Sahak Bartev (Partev) and Archimandrite St Mesrop (Vardapet) Mashtots are the founders of Armenian literature and ecclesiastical bibliography. St Sahak Partev was the elder son of Catholicos St Nersess the Great. He was the last Catholicos of the Armenian Church who descended from the lineage of St Gregory the Illuminator. He became Catholicos…
In 287 A.D. Tiridates (Drtad), from the royal house of Arshakouni, assumed the throne which once belonged to his father and he became Tiridates III, King of Armenia. His name is inextricably linked with the Patron Saint of the Armenian Church, St Gregory the Illuminator. In 301 A.D, the king released the Christian Gregory from…
According to tradition, while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, two Greek princes came across a chest that once belonged to St Mary. In Galilee, they saw a large crowd gathered in front of a Jewish woman’s house. On enquiring, they found that the sick were being healed due to the inexplicable power of the chest.…
Every year, the Armenian Church reserves a day in its liturgical calendar to remember one of the more obscure figures of the Old Testament: the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah’s collection of prophecies and oracles stands among the last books of the canonical Old Testament. In its opening verse, Zechariah situates himself in time during the reign…
Patriarchs St Athanasius and St Cyril are among the most prominent figures of the Universal Church, who devoted their lives to the promulgation of the orthodoxy of Christianity, and the struggle against false conceptions and erroneous teachings. St. Athanasius (295-373 A.D.) was born in Alexandria, to a Greek Christian family. He received his higher education…
Elisha the Prophet was a wonderworker whose miracles; healing the diseased, the multiplication of loaves, raising a child from death, anticipated those of Christ. Indeed, Jesus explicitly referred to these during his own ministry. The Old Testament prophet became greatly honored in the Christian tradition, and especially among the Armenians, for whom the name “Yeghishe”…