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How does the Armenian Church differ from the Orthodox Church? Christianity of Armenia. Armenian Apostolic Church

Many people have known since school about the split of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, since this is part of the course of history. From it we know some of the differences between these churches, the background that led to the division, and the consequences of this division. But few people know what the features of many other types of Christianity are, which for various reasons separated from the two main movements. One of the churches that is close in spirit to the Orthodox, but at the same time, is completely separate, is the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The Orthodox Church is the second largest movement of Christianity after Catholicism. Despite the frequent misconception, the split of Christianity into Catholicism and Orthodoxy, although it had been brewing since the 5th century AD. e., occurred only in 1054.

The unofficial division of spheres of influence led to the emergence of two large regions of Europe, which, due to religious differences, took different paths of development. The Balkans and Eastern Europe, including Russia.

The Armenian Apostolic Church arose much earlier than the Orthodox Church. So, already in 41 it acquired some autonomy (autocephalous Armenian church), and officially separated in 372 due to the rejection of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. It is noteworthy that this schism was the first major division of Christianity.

As a result of the Council of Chalcedon, four more churches stood out along with the Armenian one. Five of these churches are geographically located in Asia and northeast Africa. Subsequently, during the spread of Islam, these churches were isolated from the rest of the Christian world, which led to further big differences between them and the Chalcedonian churches (Orthodoxy and Catholicism).

An interesting fact is that the Armenian Apostolic Church became the state religion back in 301, that is, it is the first official state religion in the world.

Common features

Despite such an early separation from the unified Christian movement, there has always been cultural exchange between the Armenian and Orthodox churches. This is due to the fact that the partial isolation of Armenia during the spread of Islam separated it from a significant part of the Christian world. The only “window to Europe” remained through Georgia, which by that time had already become an Orthodox state.

Thanks to this, one can find some common features in the vestments of priests, the arrangement of temples, and in some cases, architecture.

Difference

However, it makes no sense to talk about the relationship between the Orthodox and Armenian churches. It is worth at least remembering the fact that The Orthodox Church in our time is very heterogeneous in its internal structure. Thus, the Russian Orthodox, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Ukrainian churches are very authoritative, practically independent of the Ecumenical Patriarch (the formal head of the Orthodox Church).

The Armenian Apostolic Church is united, even despite the presence of an autocephalous Armenian Church, because it recognizes the patronage of the head of the Apostolic Church.

From here we can immediately move on to the question of the leadership of these two churches. Thus, the head of the Orthodox Church is the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

The presence of completely different titles for the heads of the church indicates that these are completely different institutions.

It is impossible not to note the difference in the traditional architecture of these two churches. Thus, Armenian cathedrals represent the continuation and further development of the traditional eastern school of construction. This was largely influenced not only by cultural background, but also by climate and basic Construction Materials. Armenian churches, which were built back in the Middle Ages, are usually squat and have thick walls (the reason for this was that they were often fortifications).

Although Orthodox churches are not an example of European culture, they also look completely different from Armenian ones. They usually stretch upward, their domes are traditionally gilded.

The rituals are radically different, as well as the times of holidays and fasts at these churches. Thus, the Armenian rite has a national language, holy books. It hosts a different number of people than the Orthodox. What is noteworthy is that the latter still does not have such a connection with the people, which is primarily due to the language of worship.

Finally, the most important difference, which was the reason for the Chalcedonian schism. The Armenian Apostolic Church is of the opinion that Jesus Christ is one person, that is, he has single nature. In the Orthodox tradition it has dual nature- unites both God and man.

These differences are so significant that these churches considered each other to have heretical teachings, and mutual anathemas were imposed. Positive changes were achieved only in 1993, when representatives of both churches signed an agreement.

Thus, the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Orthodox Church have the same origins, and also differ from each other to a lesser extent than the Armenian from the Catholic or the Catholic from the Orthodox; in fact, they are different and absolutely independent spiritual institutions.

Cultures have long been closely intertwined with each other. This probably contributed to to a greater extent some kinship of religions. More than 200 years ago, the first Armenian churches appeared in Moscow, the addresses of which changed all the time. Let us trace the history of their emergence and flourishing.

Armenian religion

Armenians profess Orthodoxy, called the Armenian Apostolic Church. Also, some Armenians belong to catholic church. This state adopted Christianity as the state religion before all other countries, in ancient times. It is believed that the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus contributed to the emergence and spread of Christianity in this country.

The Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to Miaphysitism, professing a single essence of two hypostases of our God Jesus Christ. Let's talk first about the Armenian Apostolic Church.

What are the differences and similarities between Armenian Christianity and Russian Orthodoxy?

Russian professes one person of our God Jesus Christ and two of his essences: divine and human. Armenian Christianity denies human essence. This is the most important difference.

They also differ from Orthodox posts, some rituals.

In addition, the Armenians have the sign of the cross with three fingers, but they cross themselves from left to right.

However, Orthodox chants and canons are often used in Armenian services.

Features of the structure of the Armenian Church

The buildings of Armenian sanctuaries traditionally have rectangular shape, in Armenia it is customary to build single-domed churches. Only the cathedral in the Armenian temple complex in Moscow has 5 domes. This allowed him to fit perfectly into our capital.

For the most part, the interior decoration of an Armenian temple or church is quite ascetic. Usually this is the minimum number of icons; by the way, it is also not customary for Armenians to keep icons at home.

The altar, according to ancient traditions, always faces east. It is usually made of marble and is located on some hill, and steps lead up to it.

The most famous Armenian churches in Moscow

The addresses of these churches are known to every “Russian” Armenian. The temples are very popular both among them and among tourists; the architecture is amazing.

Church of the Holy Resurrection.
Armenian temple complex.
Church of Srbot Naatakats.
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on Presnya.
Church of the Cross Movement.

These are Armenian churches in Moscow, the addresses of which can be seen below.

Church of the Holy Resurrection

This is the Armenian Apostolic Church in Moscow, whose address is Sergei Makeev Street, building 10, at the Armenian Cemetery. It was founded in 1815 by the brothers Mina and Yakim Lazarev. In Soviet times, this temple was closed; it housed a warehouse for coffins. And only in 1956 it was returned to believers.

In the outer part of the temple there is a place for candles, there are only three niches in which believers leave candles. There is also a khachkar, to which mourning days funeral wreaths are laid. The entrance to the temple is decorated with two icons and images of saints.

Inside the Church of the Holy Resurrection there is no place for candles, but there are about 10 icons.

The temple is decorated with a beautiful dome, on the inside of which there are many images of saints and evangelists.

Armenian temple complex

The construction of the Armenian temple complex ended in 2011 and lasted almost 13 years.

Now it is the spiritual center of Armenian religion and culture in Russia. It includes:

Chapel of the Holy Christ.
Cathedral.
Residence of the Catholicos.
Museum.
Administrative building.
Sunday school (educational and educational center).
Underground parking.

All this takes up about 11 thousand square meters. meters of land.

And the Russian dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church are called differently “the Armenian Church in Moscow.” Address - Mira Avenue and Trifonovskaya Street.

The Sunday school of this complex is always in demand.

Many people are interested in where the Armenian church is located in Moscow, the address of its location. The temple complex is known to everyone, the scale of its buildings is so impressive; it is the largest building outside of Armenia.

The cathedral, part of the complex, is the tallest Armenian temple in the world, its height is about 57 meters. Its facade is decorated with 27 crosses, according to the number of disciples of Jesus Christ, and bells that were cast in Voronezh.

Numerous bas-reliefs are not built-in, but carved directly onto the reddish cladding of the temple.

All buildings of the Armenian temple complex differ in color. On the territory adjacent to it, in the courtyard, there are marble paving stones underfoot.

Srbot Naatakats Church

Srbot Naatakats Church is a new Armenian church in Moscow, the address of which is not yet known. It is being built on Poklonnaya Hill, in the place where the fallen soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are honored. Patriotic War, where peace and love are worshiped.

Srbot Naatakats Church translated means Church of the Holy Martyrs. It is assumed that it is being built in honor of the fallen Armenian soldiers.

It is known that the bulk of the money for the future church was obtained through donations from ordinary citizens.

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on Presnya

In the 17th century, quite a lot of Armenians lived in the Presnensky district. Therefore, in 1746, they built the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary at the Presnenskoye cemetery. It became the first known Armenian church in Moscow.

However, in the 20s of the last century, this building was destroyed, the remains of the Lazarev relatives were transferred from the Presnensky cemetery to the Church of the Holy Resurrection.

Now on the site of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary there is part of the Moscow Zoo.

Church of the Cross Movement

Church of the Cross Movement is an Armenian church in Moscow, the address (how to get to it) no longer interests anyone. It was demolished by the Soviet authorities in 1930 and a school was built in its place.

The Church of the Exaltation of the Cross stood for about two hundred years, was rebuilt twice by different architects and had rich history. Lazar Nazarovich Lazarev was involved in its founding and construction, and with the donations of his son Ivan, the church was erected in Armenian Lane. The loss of this sanctuary is sad.

Armenian Catholicism

Despite the fact that the majority of Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, there are also Catholics, or in other words, Armenian Jesuits, who have maintained contact with the Pope.

The history of the emergence of Catholicism in Armenia is quite long and extremely complicated, beginning in the fifth century, during the Council of Chalcedon. But the fact remains: this branch of Christianity is extremely popular among Armenians.

In Russia, some visiting Armenians also have the opportunity to practice Catholicism, although there are not very many parishes for this. Meanwhile, according to the latest estimates, the number of people wishing to visit the Armenian Catholic Church is about 200 thousand people. This is all over Russia, but most of them are concentrated in the capital of our homeland.

Armenian Catholic Church in Moscow

The address of the Armenian location changed all the time. The fact is that the Armenian Jesuits still do not have their own temple.

Back in 2000, they organized a Catholic community in Moscow, whose services were held in different places.

Since its formation, the community has gathered in the French Catholic Church, located at st. Malaya Lubyanka 12. The services were led by Sister Nune Poghosyan, but after 2 years she was forced to leave, and the meetings stopped for a while.

Since 2002, Armenian Catholics have gathered in the Cathedral Immaculate Conception Holy Virgin Maria, which is located in Moscow at st. Malaya Gruzinskaya 27/13.

Catholic services are held in this temple in many languages, including services according to Armenian customs.

Let us remind you that in Moscow there are only two and one chapel of St. Olga.

During times Soviet power many Orthodox and Catholic churches were consigned to oblivion, including the Armenian churches in Moscow, whose addresses no one will now remember.

But in recent decades there has been a revival of Christianity in Russia. The main thing in this is to create constant conditions for parishioners to visit temples, churches and chapels.

Armenian Catholics have a much more difficult time in this regard. Even in the residence of the main Armenian - the city of Gyumri, there is still no normal temple, but a small chapel.

In Russia, Armenians consider Moscow to be the main spiritual center of Catholics. The largest Armenian community in Russia lives here and the Russian residence of the Armenian Catholic bishop is located here.

Now believers are fighting for the founding and construction of an Armenian Catholic church.

Currently according to canonical device unified Armenian Apostolic Church, there are two Catholicosates - the Catholicosate of All Armenians, with its center in Etchmiadzin (Armenian. Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին / Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin) and Cilician (Armenian) Մեծի Տանն Կիլիկիոյ Կաթողիկոսություն / Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia), with its center (since 1930) in Antilias, Lebanon. With the administrative independence of the Cilician Catholicos, the primacy of honor belongs to the Catholicos of All Armenians, who has the title of Supreme Patriarch of the AAC.

The Catholicos of All Armenians is under the jurisdiction of all dioceses within Armenia, as well as most foreign dioceses around the world, in particular in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former USSR. Under the administration of the Cilician Catholicos are the dioceses of Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus.

There are also two autonomous patriarchates of the AAC - Constantinople and Jerusalem, canonically subordinate to the Catholicos of All Armenians. The Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Constantinople have the ecclesiastical degree of archbishop. The Jerusalem Patriarchate is in charge of the Armenian churches of Israel and Jordan, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople is in charge of the Armenian churches of Turkey and the island of Crete (Greece).

Church organization in Russia

New Nakhichevan and Russian Diocese Rostov Vicariate of the AAC Western Vicariate of the AAC

Diocese of the South of Russia AAC North Caucasus Vicariate of the AAC

Spiritual degrees in the AAC

Unlike the Greek tripartite (bishop, priest, deacon) system of spiritual degrees of hierarchy, there are five spiritual degrees in the Armenian Church.

Catholicos/Head of the Bishop/ (has absolute authority to perform the Sacraments, including the Ordination of all spiritual levels of the hierarchy, including bishops and Catholicoses. The ordination and anointing of bishops is performed in the concelebration of two bishops. The anointing of a Catholicos is performed in the concelebration of twelve bishops).
Bishop, Archbishop (differs from the Catholicos in some limited powers. The bishop can ordain and anoint priests, but usually cannot independently ordain bishops, but only concelebrate with the Catholicos in episcopal consecration. When a new Catholicos is elected, twelve bishops will anoint him, elevating him to a spiritual degree).
Priest, Archimandrite(performs all the Sacraments except Ordination).
Deacon(will serve in the Sacraments).
Dpir(the lowest spiritual degree received at episcopal ordination. Unlike a deacon, he does not read the Gospel at the liturgy and does not offer the liturgical cup).

Dogmatics

Christology

The Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to the group of Ancient Eastern churches. She did not participate in the IV Ecumenical Council for objective reasons and, like all the Ancient Eastern churches, did not accept its resolutions. In its dogmatics, it is based on the decisions of the first three Ecumenical Councils and adheres to the pre-Chalcedonian Christology of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who professed One of the two natures of God, the Word incarnate (miaphysitism). Theological critics of the AAC argue that its Christology should be interpreted as Monophysitism, which the Armenian Church rejects, anathematizing both Monophysitism and Dyophysitism.

Icon veneration

There is an opinion among critics of the Armenian Church that in its early period it was characterized by iconoclasm. This opinion could arise due to the fact that in general there are few icons and no iconostasis in Armenian churches, but this is only a consequence of the local ancient tradition, historical conditions and the general asceticism of the decoration (that is, from the point of view of the Byzantine tradition of icon veneration, when all the walls of the temple are covered with icons, this can be perceived as the “absence” of icons or even “iconoclasm”). On the other hand, such an opinion could have developed due to the fact that believing Armenians usually do not keep icons at home. IN home prayer the Cross was more often used. This is due to the fact that the icon in the AAC must certainly be consecrated by the hand of the bishop with holy chrism, and therefore it is more of a temple shrine than an indispensable attribute of home prayer.

According to critics of “Armenian iconoclasm”, the main reasons that determined its appearance are considered to be the rule of Muslims in Armenia in the 8th-9th centuries, whose religion prohibits images of people, “monophysitism”, which does not presuppose in Christ a human essence, and therefore, the subject of the image, as well as the identification of icon veneration with the Byzantine Church, with which the Armenian Apostolic Church had significant disagreements since the Council of Chalcedon. Well, since the presence of icons in Armenian churches testifies against the assertion of iconoclasm in the AAC, the opinion began to be put forward that, starting from the 11th century, in matters of icon veneration, the Armenian Church converged with the Byzantine tradition (although Armenia in subsequent centuries was under the rule of Muslims, and many The dioceses of the AAC are still located in Muslim territories today, despite the fact that there have never been any changes in Christology and the attitude towards the Byzantine tradition is the same as in the first millennium).

The Armenian Apostolic Church itself declares its negative attitude towards iconoclasm and condemns it, since it has its own history of fighting this heresy. Even at the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th centuries (that is, more than a century before the emergence of iconoclasm in Byzantium, 8th-9th centuries), preachers of iconoclasm appeared in Armenia. The Dvina priest Hesu and several other clergy proceeded to the Sodk and Gardmank regions, where they preached the rejection and destruction of icons. The Armenian Church, represented by Catholicos Movses, theologians Vrtanes Kertoh and Hovhan Mayragometsi, ideologically opposed them. But the fight against the iconoclasts was not limited only to theology. The iconoclasts were persecuted and, captured by the Gardman prince, went to the court of the Church in Dvin. Thus, intra-church iconoclasm was quickly suppressed, but found soil in sectarian popular movements mid-7th century and the beginning of the 8th century, with which the Armenian and Alvan churches fought.

Calendar and ritual features

Vardapet (archimandrite) staff, Armenia, 1st quarter of the 19th century

Matah

One of the ritual features of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the matah (literally “offering salt”) or charity meal, mistakenly perceived by some as an animal sacrifice. Main meaning mataha is not about sacrifice, but about offering a gift to God in the form of showing mercy to the poor. That is, if this can be called a sacrifice, then only in the sense of donation. This is a sacrifice of mercy, and not a blood sacrifice like the Old Testament or pagan ones.

The mataha tradition traces back to the words of the Lord:

When you make lunch or dinner, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they invite you and you receive reward. But when you make a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed that they cannot repay you, for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the righteous.
Luke 14:12-14

Matah in the Armenian Apostolic Church is performed on various occasions, most often as gratitude to God for mercy or with a request for help. Most often, matah is performed as a vow for the successful outcome of something, for example, the return of a son from the army or recovery from a serious illness of a family member, and is also performed as a petition for the repose of the deceased. However, matah is also customary to serve as a public meal for parish members during major church holidays or in connection with the consecration of a church.

Participation in the rite of the clergyman is limited solely to the consecration of the salt with which the matah is prepared. It is forbidden to bring an animal to church, and therefore it is slaughtered by the donor at home. For matakh, a bull, ram or poultry(which is perceived as a sacrifice). The meat is boiled in water with the addition of blessed salt. They distribute it to the poor or host a meal at home, and the meat should not be left for the next day. So the meat of a bull is distributed to 40 houses, a ram - to 7 houses, a rooster - to 3 houses. Traditional and symbolic mate, when a dove is used, it is released into the wild.

Forward post

The advanced fast, currently unique to the Armenian Church, occurs 3 weeks before Lent. The origin of fasting is associated with the fast of St. Gregory the Illuminator, after which he healed the sick king Trdat the Great.

Trisagion

In the Armenian Church, as in other Ancient Eastern Orthodox churches, unlike the Orthodox churches of the Greek tradition, the Trisagion hymn is sung not to the Divine Trinity, but to one of the Persons of the Triune God. More often this is perceived as a Christological formula. Therefore, after the words “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,” depending on the event celebrated at the Liturgy, an addition is made indicating one or another biblical event.

So in Sunday Liturgy and on Easter it is added: “... who rose from the dead, have mercy on us.”

During the non-Sunday Liturgy and on the feasts of the Holy Cross: “... who was crucified for us, …”.

On the Annunciation or Epiphany (Christmas and Epiphany): “... who appeared for us, …”.

On the Ascension of Christ: “... that he ascended in glory to the Father, …”.

On Pentecost (Descent of the Holy Spirit): “... who came and rested on the apostles, …”.

And others…

Communion

Bread In the Armenian Apostolic Church, when celebrating the Eucharist, according to tradition, unleavened is used. The choice of Eucharistic bread (unleavened or leavened) is not given dogmatic significance.

Wine When celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole thing is used, not diluted with water.

The consecrated Eucharistic bread (Body) is immersed by the priest into the Chalice with consecrated wine (Blood) and, broken into pieces with the fingers, is served to the communicant.

Sign of the Cross

In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the sign of the cross is three-fingered (similar to the Greek) and is performed from left to right (like the Latins). The AAC does not consider other versions of the Sign of the Cross, practiced in other churches, to be “wrong,” but perceives them as a natural local tradition.

Calendar features

The Armenian Apostolic Church as a whole lives according to the Gregorian calendar, but communities in the diaspora, on the territory of churches using the Julian calendar, with the blessing of the bishop can also live according to the Julian calendar. That is, the calendar is not given a “dogmatic” status. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, according to the status quo accepted between the Christian churches that have rights to the Holy Sepulcher, lives according to the Julian calendar, like the Greek Patriarchate.

An important prerequisite for the spread of Christianity was the existence of Jewish colonies in Armenia. As is known, the first preachers of Christianity usually began their activities in those places where Jewish communities were located. Jewish communities existed in the main cities of Armenia: Tigranakert, Artashat, Vagharshapat, Zareavan, etc. Tertullian in his book “Against the Jews,” written in 197, telling about the peoples who adopted Christianity: Parthians, Lydians, Phrygians, Cappadocians, also mentions Armenians This evidence is confirmed by Blessed Augustine in his essay “Against the Manichaeans.”

At the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 3rd centuries, Christians in Armenia were persecuted by the kings Vagharsh II (186-196), Khosrov I (196-216) and their successors. These persecutions were described by the Bishop of Cappadocian Caesarea Firmilian (230-268) in his book “The History of the Persecution of the Church.” Eusebius of Caesarea mentions the letter of Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria, “On repentance to the brothers in Armenia, where Meruzhan was the bishop” (VI, 46. 2). The letter dates from 251-255. It proves that in the middle of the 3rd century there was a Christian community organized and recognized by the Universal Church in Armenia.

Adoption of Christianity by Armenia

The traditional historical date for the proclamation of Christianity as the “state and only religion of Armenia” is considered to be 301. According to S. Ter-Nersesyan, this happened no earlier than 314, between 314 and 325, but this does not negate the fact that Armenia was the first to adopt Christianity at the state level. Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who became the first first hierarch of the state Armenian Church (-), and the king of Great Armenia, Saint Trdat III the Great (-), who before his conversion was the most severe persecutor of Christianity.

According to the writings of Armenian historians of the 5th century, in 287 Trdat arrived in Armenia, accompanied by Roman legions, to regain his father's throne. In the estate of Yeriza, Gavar Ekegeats, when the king was performing a ritual of sacrifice in the temple of the pagan goddess Anahit, Gregory, one of the king’s associates, as a Christian, refused to sacrifice to the idol. Then it is revealed that Gregory is the son of Anak, the murderer of Trdat’s father, King Khosrow II. For these “crimes” Gregory is imprisoned in the Artashat dungeon, intended for death row. In the same year, the king issued two decrees: the first of them ordered the arrest of all Christians within Armenia with the confiscation of their property, and the second ordered the death penalty for harboring Christians. These decrees show how dangerous Christianity was considered for the state.

Church of Saint Gayane. Vagharshapat

Church of St. Hripsime. Vagharshapat

The adoption of Christianity by Armenia is closely associated with the martyrdom of the holy virgins Hripsimeyanki. According to legend, a group of Christian girls originally from Rome, hiding from the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, fled to the East and found refuge near the capital of Armenia, Vagharshapat. King Trdat, enchanted by the beauty of the maiden Hripsime, wanted to take her as his wife, but met desperate resistance, for which he ordered all the girls to be martyred. Hripsime and 32 friends died in the north-eastern part of Vagharshapat, the teacher of the maidens Gayane, along with two maidens, died in the southern part of the city, and one sick maiden was tortured right in the winepress. Only one of the virgins - Nune - managed to escape to Georgia, where she continued to preach Christianity and was subsequently glorified under the name of Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Nino.

The execution of the Hripsimeyan maidens caused the king a strong mental shock, which led to a serious nervous illness. In the 5th century, people called this disease “pig disease,” which is why sculptors depicted Trdat with a pig’s head. The king's sister Khosrovadukht repeatedly had a dream in which she was informed that Trdat could only be healed by Gregory, imprisoned. Gregory, who miraculously survived after spending 13 years in a stone pit in Khor Virap, was released from prison and solemnly received in Vagharshapat. After 66 days of prayer and preaching the teachings of Christ, Gregory healed the king, who, having thus come to faith, declared Christianity the religion of the state.

The previous persecutions of Trdat led to the virtual destruction of the sacred hierarchy in Armenia. To be ordained a bishop, Gregory the Illuminator solemnly went to Caesarea, where he was ordained by the Cappadocian bishops led by Leontius of Caesarea. Bishop Peter of Sebastia performed the ceremony of enthroning Gregory to the episcopal throne in Armenia. The ceremony took place not in the capital Vagharshapat, but in distant Ashtishat, where the main episcopal see of Armenia, founded by the apostles, had long been located.

King Trdat, together with the entire court and princes, was baptized by Gregory the Illuminator and made every effort to revive and spread Christianity in the country, and so that paganism could never return. Unlike Osroene, where King Abgar (who, according to Armenian legend, is considered an Armenian) was the first of the monarchs to adopt Christianity, making it only the sovereign’s religion, in Armenia Christianity became the state religion. And that is why Armenia is considered the first Christian state in the world.

To strengthen the position of Christianity in Armenia and the final departure from paganism, Gregory the Illuminator, together with the king, destroyed pagan sanctuaries and, in order to avoid their restoration, built Christian churches in their place. This began with the construction of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. According to legend, Saint Gregory had a vision: the sky opened, a ray of light descended from it, preceded by a host of angels, and in a ray of light Christ descended from heaven and struck the Sandarametk underground temple with a hammer, indicating its destruction and the construction of a Christian church on this site. The temple was destroyed and filled up, and in its place a temple dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos was erected. This is how the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church was founded - Holy Etchmiadzin, which translated from Armenian means “the Only Begotten descended.”

The newly converted Armenian state was forced to defend its religion from the Roman Empire. Eusebius of Caesarea testifies that Emperor Maximin II Daza (-) declared war on the Armenians, “who had long been friends and allies of Rome, moreover, this god-fighter tried to force zealous Christians to sacrifice to idols and demons and thereby made them enemies instead of friends and enemies instead of allies ... He himself, together with his troops, suffered failures in the war with the Armenians” (IX. 8,2,4). Maximin attacked Armenia in the last days of his life, in 312/313. Over the course of 10 years, Christianity in Armenia took such deep roots that during its new faith Armenians took up arms against the strong Roman Empire.

During the time of St. Gregory, the Alvan and Georgian kings accepted the faith of Christ, respectively making Christianity the state religion in Georgia and Caucasian Albania. Local churches, whose hierarchy originates from the Armenian Church, maintaining doctrinal and ritual unity with it, had their own Catholicos, who recognized the canonical authority of the Armenian First Hierarch. The mission of the Armenian Church was also directed to other regions of the Caucasus. So the eldest son of Catholicos Vrtanes Grigoris went to preach the Gospel to the country of the Mazkuts, where he later suffered martyrdom by order of King Sanesan Arshakuni in 337.

After much hard work (according to legend, by Divine revelation), Saint Mesrop created the Armenian alphabet in 405. The first sentence translated into Armenian was “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand the sayings of understanding” (Proverbs 1:1). With the assistance of the Catholicos and the Tsar, Mashtots opened schools in various places in Armenia. Translated and original literature originates and develops in Armenia. The translation work was headed by Catholicos Sahak, who first of all translated the Bible from Syriac and Greek into Armenian. At the same time, he sent his best students to the famous cultural centers of that time: Edessa, Amid, Alexandria, Athens, Constantinople and other cities to improve their skills in Syriac and Greek languages and translations of the works of the Church Fathers.

In parallel with translation activities, the creation of original literature of various genres took place: theological, moral, exegetical, apologetic, historical, etc. The contribution of the translators and creators of Armenian literature of the 5th century to the national culture is so great that the Armenian Church canonized them as saints every year solemnly celebrates the memory of the Council of Holy Translators.

Defense of Christianity from persecution of the Zoroastrian clergy of Iran

Since ancient times, Armenia was alternately under political influence either Byzantium or Persia. Starting from the 4th century, when Christianity became the state religion first of Armenia and then of Byzantium, the sympathies of the Armenians turned to the west, to their Christian neighbor. Well aware of this, the Persian kings from time to time made attempts to destroy Christianity in Armenia and forcibly impose Zoroastrianism. Some nakharars, especially the owners of the southern regions bordering Persia, shared the interests of the Persians. Two political movements emerged in Armenia: Byzantophile and Persophile.

After the Third Ecumenical Council, those persecuted in Byzantine Empire supporters of Nestorius found refuge in Persia and began to translate and disseminate the writings of Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia, which were not condemned at the Council of Ephesus. Bishop Akakios of Melitina and Patriarch Proclus of Constantinople warned Catholicos Sahak about the spread of Nestorianism in letters.

In his response messages, the Catholicos wrote that preachers of this heresy had not yet appeared in Armenia. In this correspondence, the foundation of Armenian Christology was laid on the basis of the teachings of the Alexandrian school. The letter of Saint Sahak addressed to Patriarch Proclus, as an example of Orthodoxy, was read out in 553 at the Byzantine “Fifth Ecumenical” Council of Constantinople.

The author of the life of Mesrop Mashtots, Koryun, testifies that “false books brought to Armenia appeared, empty legends of a certain Roman named Theodoros.” Having learned about this, Saints Sahak and Mesrop immediately took measures to condemn the champions of this heretical teaching and destroy their writings. Of course, we were talking here about the writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia.

Armenian-Byzantine church relations in the second half of the 12th century

Over the course of many centuries, the Armenian and Byzantine churches made repeated attempts to reconcile. For the first time in 654 in Dvina under Catholicos Nerses III (641-661) and Emperor of Byzantium Konstas II (-), then in the 8th century under Patriarch Herman of Constantinople (-) and Catholicos of Armenia David I (-), in the 9th century under the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (-, -) and Catholicos Zacharias I (-). But the most serious attempt to unite churches took place in the 12th century.

In the history of Armenia, the 11th century was marked by the migration of the Armenian people to the territory of the eastern provinces of Byzantium. In 1080, the ruler of Mountain Cilicia, Ruben, a relative of the last king of Armenia, Gagik II, annexed the flat part of Cilicia to his possessions and founded the Armenian Principality of Cilicia on the northeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1198 this principality became a kingdom and existed until 1375. Together with the royal throne The patriarchal throne of Armenia also moved to Cilicia (-).

The Pope wrote a letter to the Armenian Catholicos, in which he recognized the Orthodoxy of the Armenian Church and, for the perfect unity of the two Churches, invited the Armenians to mix water into the Holy Chalice and celebrate the Nativity of Christ on December 25. Innocent II also sent a bishop's staff as a gift to the Armenian Catholicos. From that time on, the Latin staff appeared in use in the Armenian Church, which bishops began to use, and the Eastern Greco-Cappadocia staff became the property of the archimandrites. In 1145, Catholicos Gregory III turned to Pope Eugenius III (-) for political assistance, and Gregory IV turned to Pope Lucius III (-). Instead of helping, however, the popes again suggested that the AAC mix water into the Holy Chalice, celebrate the Nativity of Christ on December 25, etc.

King Hethum sent the pope's message to Catholicos Constantine and asked for an answer. The Catholicos, although full of respect for the Roman throne, could not accept the conditions that the pope proposed. Therefore, he sent a 15-point message to King Hethum, in which he rejected the teachings of the Catholic Church and asked the king not to trust the West. The Roman throne, having received such a response, limited its proposals and, in a letter written in 1250, proposed to accept only the doctrine of the filioque. To respond to this proposal, Catholicos Constantine convened the Third Council of Sis in 1251. Without reaching a final decision, the council turned to the opinion of church leaders in Eastern Armenia. The problem was new for the Armenian Church, and it is natural that in initial period There could be different opinions. However, no decision was ever made.

The 16th-17th centuries saw the period of the most active confrontation between these powers for a dominant position in the Middle East, including power over the territory of Armenia. Therefore, from that time on, the dioceses and communities of the AAC were divided on a territorial basis into Turkish and Persian for several centuries. Since the 16th century, both of these parts of the single church developed under different conditions and had different legal status, which affected the structure of the AAC hierarchy and the relationships of various communities within it.

After the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1461, the Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Constantinople was formed. The first Armenian patriarch in Istanbul was the Archbishop of Bursa Hovagim, who headed the Armenian communities in Asia Minor. The patriarch was endowed with broad religious and administrative powers and was the head (bashi) of a special “Armenian” millet (ermeni milleti). In addition to the Armenians themselves, the Turks included in this millet all Christian communities that were not included in the “Byzantine” millet that united Greek Orthodox Christians on the territory of the Ottoman Empire. In addition to believers of other non-Chalcedonian Ancient Eastern Orthodox churches, Maronites, Bogomils and Catholics were included in the Armenian millet Balkan Peninsula. Their hierarchy was administratively subordinate to the Armenian Patriarch in Istanbul.

In the 16th century, other historical thrones of the AAC also found themselves on the territory of the Ottoman Empire - the Akhtamar and Cilician Catholicosates and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Despite the fact that the Catholicoses of Cilicia and Akhtamar were higher in spiritual rank than the Patriarch of Constantinople, who was only an archbishop, they were administratively subordinate to him as the Armenian ethnarch in Turkey.

The throne of the Catholicos of all Armenians in Etchmiadzin ended up on the territory of Persia, and the throne of the Catholicos of Albania, subordinate to the AAC, was also located there. Armenians in the territories subordinate to Persia almost completely lost their rights to autonomy, and the AAC here remained the only public institution that could represent the nation and influence social life. Catholicos Movses III (-) managed to achieve a certain unity of governance in Etchmiadzin. He strengthened the position of the church in the Persian state, obtaining from the government an end to bureaucratic abuses and the abolition of taxes for the AAC. His successor, Pilipos I, sought to strengthen the ties of the church dioceses of Persia, subordinate to Etchmiadzin, with dioceses in the Ottoman Empire. In 1651, he convened a local council of the AAC in Jerusalem, at which all the contradictions between the autonomous thrones of the AAC caused by the political division were eliminated.

However, in the 2nd half of the 17th century, a confrontation arose between Etchmiadzin and the increasingly powerful Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Egiazar of Constantinople, with the support of the Sublime Porte, was proclaimed the Supreme Catholicos of the AAC, as opposed to the legitimate Catholicos of all Armenians with the throne in Etchmiadzin. In 1664 and 1679, Catholicos Hakob VI visited Istanbul and held negotiations with Yeghiazar on unity and division of powers. In order to eliminate the conflict and not destroy the unity of the church, according to their agreement, after the death of Hakob (1680), the Etchmiadzin throne was occupied by Yegiazar. Thus, a single hierarchy and a single supreme throne of the AAC were preserved.

The confrontation between the Turkic tribal unions Ak-Koyunlu and Kara-Koyunlu, which took place mainly on the territory of Armenia, and then the wars between the Ottoman Empire and Iran led to enormous destruction in the country. The Catholicosate in Etchmiadzin made efforts to preserve the idea of national unity and national culture, improving the church-hierarchical system, but the difficult situation in the country forced many Armenians to seek salvation in foreign lands. By this time, Armenian colonies with the corresponding church structure already existed in Iran, Syria, Egypt, as well as in Crimea and Western Ukraine. In the 18th century, the positions of the AAC strengthened in Russia - Moscow, St. Petersburg, New Nakhichevan (Nakhichevan-on-Don), Armavir.

Catholic proselytism among Armenians

Simultaneously with the strengthening of economic ties of the Ottoman Empire with Europe in the 17th-18th centuries, there was an increase in the propaganda activity of the Roman Catholic Church. The AAC as a whole took a sharply negative position towards the missionary activities of Rome among the Armenians. However, in mid-17th century century, the most significant Armenian colony in Europe (in Western Ukraine), under powerful political and ideological pressure, was forced to convert to Catholicism. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Armenian bishops of Aleppo and Mardin openly spoke out in favor of converting to Catholicism.

In Constantinople, where the political interests of East and West intersected, European embassies and Catholic missionaries from the Dominican, Franciscan and Jesuit orders launched active proselytizing activities among the Armenian community. As a result of the influence of Catholics, a split occurred among the Armenian clergy in the Ottoman Empire: several bishops converted to Catholicism and, through the mediation of the French government and the papacy, separated from the AAC. In 1740, with the support of Pope Benedict XIV, they formed the Armenian Catholic Church, which became subordinate to the Roman throne.

At the same time, the ties of the AAC with Catholics played a significant role in the revival of the national culture of the Armenians and the dissemination of European ideas of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Since 1512 in Amsterdam (printing house of the monastery of Agop Megaparta), and then in Venice, Marseille and other cities Western Europe books began to be published Armenian language. First Armenian printed edition Holy Scripture was carried out in 1666 in Amsterdam. In Armenia itself cultural activities was very difficult (the first printing house opened here only in 1771), which forced many members of the clergy to leave the Middle East and create monastic, scientific and educational associations in Europe.

Mkhitar Sebastatsi, fascinated by the activities of Catholic missionaries in Constantinople, founded a monastery on the island of San Lazzaro in Venice in 1712. Having adapted to local political conditions, the brethren of the monastery (Mkhitarists) recognized the primacy of the Pope; nevertheless, this community and its branch that arose in Vienna tried to remain aloof from the propaganda activities of Catholics, engaging exclusively in scientific and educational work, the fruits of which earned national recognition.

In the 18th century, the Catholic monastic order of the Antonites acquired great influence among Armenians who collaborated with Catholics. Antonite communities in the Middle East were formed from representatives of the Ancient Eastern churches who converted to Catholicism, including from the AAC. The Order of Armenian Antonites was founded in 1715, and its status was approved by Pope Clement XIII. By the end of the 18th century, the majority of the episcopate of the Armenian Catholic Church belonged to this order.

Simultaneously with the development of the pro-Catholic movement on the territory of the Ottoman Empire, the AAC created Armenian cultural and educational centers of national orientation. The most famous of them was the school of the monastery of John the Baptist, founded by the clergyman and scientist Vardan Bagishetsi. The Armashi monastery became very famous in the Ottoman Empire. Graduates of this school enjoyed great authority in church circles. By the time of the patriarchate of Zakaria II in Constantinople at the end of the 18th century, the most important area of activity of the Church was the training of the Armenian clergy and the preparation of the necessary personnel for the management of dioceses and monasteries.

AAC after the annexation of Eastern Armenia to Russia

Simeon I (1763-1780) was the first among the Armenian Catholicos to establish official ties with Russia. By the end of the 18th century, Armenian communities Northern Black Sea region found themselves part of the Russian Empire as a result of the advancement of its borders in the North Caucasus. The dioceses located on Persian territory, primarily the Albanian Catholicosate with its center in Gandzasar, launched active activities aimed at the annexation of Armenia to Russia. The Armenian clergy of the Erivan, Nakhichevan and Karabakh khanates sought to get rid of the power of Persia and linked the salvation of their people with the support of Christian Russia.

With the beginning of the Russian-Persian War, Tiflis Bishop Nerses Ashtaraketsi contributed to the creation of Armenian volunteer detachments, which made a significant contribution to the victories of Russian troops in Transcaucasia. In 1828, according to the Treaty of Turkmanchay, Eastern Armenia became part of Russian Empire.

The activities of the Armenian Church under the rule of the Russian Empire proceeded in accordance with the special “Regulations” (“Code of Laws of the Armenian Church”), approved by Emperor Nicholas I in 1836. According to this document, in particular, the Albanian Catholicosate was abolished, the dioceses of which became part of the AAC itself. Compared to other Christian communities in the Russian Empire, the Armenian Church, due to its confessional isolation, occupied a special position that could not be significantly affected by certain restrictions - in particular, the Armenian Catholicos had to be ordained only with the consent of the emperor.

The confessional differences of the AAC in the empire, where Byzantine-style Orthodoxy dominated, were reflected in the name “Armenian-Gregorian Church”, invented by Russian church officials. This was done in order not to call the Armenian Church Orthodox. At the same time, the “non-Orthodoxy” of the AAC saved it from the fate that befell the Georgian Church, which, being of the same faith with the Russian Orthodox Church, was practically liquidated, becoming part of the Russian Church. Despite the stable position of the Armenian Church in Russia, there was serious oppression of the AAC by the authorities. In 1885-1886 Armenian parish schools were temporarily closed, and since 1897 they were transferred to the Ministry of Education. In 1903, a decree was issued on the nationalization of Armenian church properties, which was canceled in 1905 after mass outrage among the Armenian people.

In the Ottoman Empire, the Armenian church organization in the 19th century also gained new status. After the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-1829, thanks to the mediation of European powers, Catholic and Protestant communities were created in Constantinople, which included a significant number of Armenians. Nevertheless, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople continued to be regarded by the Sublime Porte as official representative the entire Armenian population of the empire. The election of the patriarch was approved by the Sultan's charter, and the Turkish authorities tried in every possible way to bring him under their control, using political and social levers. The slightest violation of the limits of competence and disobedience could lead to deposition from the throne.

Increasingly wider layers of society were involved in the sphere of activity of the Patriarchate of Constantinople of the AAC, and the patriarch gradually acquired significant influence in the Armenian Church of the Ottoman Empire. Without his intervention, internal church, cultural or political issues of the Armenian community were not resolved. The Patriarch of Constantinople acted as a mediator during Turkey’s contacts with Etchmiadzin. According to the “National Constitution”, developed in 1860-1863 (in the 1880s, its operation was suspended by Sultan Abdul Hamid II), the spiritual and civil administration of the entire Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire was under the authority of two councils: the spiritual (of 14 bishops chaired by the patriarch) and secular (of 20 members elected by a meeting of 400 representatives of the Armenian communities).

Armenian Apostolic Church is one of the oldest Christian Churches.

Christianity appeared in Armenia in the 2nd-3rd centuries. , becoming at the beginning of the 4th century. (301) state religion.

The Armenian Church is called Apostolic because two apostles from the 12 disciples of Christ brought the faith of Christ to Armenia. According to legend, back in the 1st century. Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew arrived in Armenia and preached Christianity there. At the same time, the first Christian communities arose in Armenia, which spread in the II-III centuries V.

Apostle Bartholomew was crucified upside down, but he continued his preaching, then he was taken down from the cross, skinned, and then beheaded.This happened on the territory of the current capital of Azerbaijan, the city of Baku, on the site of the Maiden Tower. Previously, a Christian Church stood on the site of the Tower.

Now a small ark with the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew is in Cathedral Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Wives of the Myrrh-Bearer in Baku . But the main part of the relics rests in Italian city of Benevento.
The relics of Saint Apostle Thaddeus rest in the main cathedral of Armenia in the Armenian Church.

Christians were often persecuted, since the Armenians in those days professed predominantly polytheism, which to some extent gravitated toward Hellenic-Roman polytheism.

The Gregorian Church is called thanks to the sermons of St. Gregory the Illuminator (302-326) - after whom the Armenian Apostolic Church is often called the Armenian-Gregorian - the Armenian king Tiridates III (287-330) was baptized with his family. In 301, Christianity was proclaimed the official state religion.

Gregory the Illuminator is recognized by Armenians as the first Patriarch of Armenia.

The legend says that St. Gregory had a vision: Christ in a halo descends from heaven and with a golden hammer indicates the place where the first Armenian church should be erected .

That is why the temple built here, which became a cathedral, was named Etchmiadzin, what does it mean in Armenian? The Only Begotten Descended", that is, Jesus Christ.

At the same place where the cathedral was built, Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a pit for several years.

To be honest, there are three Etchmiadzins in Armenia: the city already familiar to us, the cathedral and the monastery that has developed around it. On the territory of the latter is the residence of the Catholicos - the head of the Armenian Church.. For Armenians, Etchmiadzin is the center of gravity, if not the center of the universe. Every Armenian is obliged to visit here, no matter how far from his homeland he lives, no matter where he was born. Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II: "Holy Etchmiadzin is not only an Armenian, but also a world shrine. We are pleased to note that the heads of fraternal churches regularly visit Holy Etchmiadzin, and together we offer prayer to our Lord, asking for peace for the world and brotherhood for the nations. Children of other Churches visit the capital city in order to join our history, church and traditions".

Pilgrim's impression: --
Very beautiful, simply amazing place. So quiet and peaceful. It's worth going to the service - there is very beautiful male choral singing. There is quite an interesting museum inside - relics, a piece of the new ark, a spear. There are many khachkars. An area with some amazing atmosphere. By the way, the drive is not very far from Yerevan

The Armenian Church is close to the Orthodox, but the influence of Catholicism is very noticeable in it . For example, the walls of Armenian churches are decorated not with icons, but with paintings. The service is accompanied by an organ. Some elements of church vestments were also borrowed from Catholics. Clothes for priests are sewn in a workshop near Etchmiadzin. Conical hoods are characteristic only of the Armenian Church.

Women, as a rule, can go bareheaded in temples. Armenians cross themselves from left to right, like Catholics, but with three fingers, like Orthodox Christians. Then they put their hand to their chest - no one else does this. The Armenian Church, along with the Coptic, Ethiopian and Syrian, is one of the ancient Eastern Orthodox churches. Therefore, the order of service in them is closer to the Orthodox.

Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II: "Since 1962, the Armenian Church has been a member of the World Council of Churches and maintains relations with other fraternal churches. However, we have closer relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. These relations reflect the warm relations between our peoples and states. In the sense of theology, our Church, as Eastern Orthodox, is much closer to the family of Orthodox churches ".

Despite all the similarities between the Armenian Apostolic and Russian Orthodox Churches, there are significant differences. They relate to dogma, features of worship and rituals. Armenians, for example, sacrifice a bull, ram or rooster on major holidays. Many sacraments are performed differently in these two churches.

Baby Baptism Rite performed by three times immersion in blessed water, and when it is cold, by washing the face and parts of the body. All this is accompanied by the words: " This servant of God, who came from infancy to baptism, is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..." Armenians only have godfathers, there are no godmothers. Simultaneously with baptism, confirmation is performed, in Armenian “droshm”, “seal”. Each part of the body has its own prayer. For example, anointing the feet is accompanied by the following words: " May this Divine Seal correct your procession into Eternal Life". In the Armenian Church Baptism is always performed over only one child, and not en masse and each person being baptized is given approximately an hour of time.

In the Armenian Church since the time of George the Illuminator sacrifices are practiced , matah. Animals are usually sacrificed. If a child is born, be sure to go to church and ask the priest to perform the ceremony. If one of the relatives dies, then matah is performed for the repose of the soul. In Etchmiadzin, at the Church of St. Gayane, there is a special room where the butcher slaughters sacrificial rams and bulls. Other Christian churches consider matah a relic of paganism. Armenians do not agree with this. After all, meat goes to the poor, and who else but Christ commanded to love your neighbor.

Participation in the ritual of a clergyman is limited exclusively to the consecration of salt, with which matah is prepared. It is forbidden to bring an animal to church, and therefore it is slaughtered by the donor at home..

According to Armenian laws, you can get married if the bride is 16 and the groom is 18. .

Armenia has lost its statehood more than once. That's why Church for Armenians is a symbol of unity. And not only spiritual. People come to church to pray, light a candle, and at the same time chat with friends.. The year before last, thousands of people from all over the country, hundreds of representatives of the Armenian diaspora, came to Etchmiadzin.

Once every seven years the rite of consecration is held here. . Myrrh is a special composition of fragrant substances for sacred anointing. In Armenia it is made from olive oil, to which a special balm and 40 types of different aromatic mixtures are added. The components are boiled separately, then mixed and blessed. In addition to the Catholicos, 12 Armenian bishops participate in the ceremony. Representatives of the Apostolic Church come from Constantinople, Jerusalem and Beirut. They take turns pouring the ingredients into the cauldron and always the old myrrh left over from the previous ceremony. It is believed that there is a little oil left in it, consecrated by Christ himself. Then the Catholicos plunges a spear into the cauldron, supposedly the same one with which the Roman centurion Longinus pierced the chest of the Savior and ended His suffering. They interfere with the world with the Hand of George the Illuminator. This is the name of the shrine in which the relics (hand) of the first Catholicos of Armenia are kept..

In 2001, Pope John Paul II brought the relics of the first Armenian Catholicos to Armenia. Five hundred years of the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator x wounded in Naples, and are now in cathedral Etchmiadzin. In addition to the Holy Spear and relics, Etchmiadzin contains many other shrines revered throughout the Christian world. Many of them were taken from Turkey after the 1915 massacre.

The most precious: a fragment of Noah's Ark - the kneecap of John the Baptist, a piece of the Tree of the Cross on which Jesus was crucified, and finally a fragment of the Savior's crown of thorns.

The Cross was often used in home prayer. This is due to the fact thatthe icon must certainly be consecrated by the hand of the bishop with holy myrrh, and therefore it is more of a temple shrine than an indispensable attribute of home prayer.

The Trisagion in the Armenian Church is different every holiday. So on Sundays they sing:

« Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, Risen from the dead, have mercy on us", in the Ascension instead of "Risen from the dead" they add "...Who ascended in glory to the Father, Have mercy on us".

Proskomedia is allowed to be made on both leavened and unleavened bread. No water is added to wine. The consecrated Eucharistic bread (Body) is immersed by the priest into the Chalice with consecrated wine (Blood) and, broken into pieces with the fingers, is served to the communicant..

A year later, Armenian representatives did not take part in the IV Ecumenical Council, and the decisions of the Council were distorted by translation. The rejection of the conciliar decisions marked a gap between the Orthodox and the anti-Chalcedonians among the Armenians, which shook the life of Christians in Armenia for more than two hundred years. The councils and Catholicoses of this period either reconciled or broke again with Orthodox Church right up to the Manazkert Council in the year, as a result of which the rejection of Orthodoxy prevailed among Christians in Armenia for centuries. Since then, the Armenian Apostolic Church has existed as an anti-Chalcedonian community, in different time consisting of a number of administratively independent canonical fiefs recognizing the spiritual primacy of the Catholicos of “all Armenians” with a see in the Etchmiadzin Monastery. In its dogmatics, it adheres to the Christological terminology of St. Cyril of Alexandria (so-called miaphysitism); recognizes the seven sacraments; honors the Mother of God, icons. It is widespread in areas where Armenians live, being the largest religious community in Armenia and having a network of dioceses concentrated in the Middle East, the former USSR, Europe and America.

Historical sketch

Information related to the most ancient period history of the Armenian Church are few in number. The main reason for this is that the Armenian alphabet was created only at the beginning of the century. The history of the first centuries of the existence of the Armenian Church was passed down orally from generation to generation and only in the 5th century was it recorded in writing in historiographical and hagiographical literature.

Row historical evidence(in Armenian, Syriac, Greek and Latin languages) confirm the fact that Christianity in Armenia was preached by the holy apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who were thus the founders of the Church in Armenia.

According to the Holy Tradition of the Armenian Church, after the Ascension of the Savior, one of His disciples, Thaddeus, arriving in Edessa, healed the king of Osroene Abgar from leprosy, ordained Addaeus as a bishop and went to Greater Armenia preaching the Word of God. Among the many who converted him to Christ was the daughter of the Armenian king Sanatruk Sandukht. For professing Christianity, the apostle, together with the princess and other converts, accepted martyrdom by order of the king in Shavarshan, in the Gavar Artaz.

A few years later, in the 29th year of the reign of Sanatruk, the Apostle Bartholomew, after preaching in Persia, arrived in Armenia. He converted the sister of King Vogui and many nobles to Christ, after which, by order of Sanatruk, he accepted martyrdom in the city of Arebanos, which is located between lakes Van and Urmia.

A fragment of a historical work has reached us, telling about the martyrdom of Sts. Voskeans and Sukiaseans in Armenia at the end - beginning of centuries. The author refers to the "Word" of Tatian (II century), who was well acquainted with the history of the apostles and the first Christian preachers. According to this scripture, the disciples of the Apostle Thaddeus, led by Hryusiy (Greek “gold”, in Armenian “wax”), who were Roman ambassadors to the Armenian king, after the martyrdom of the Apostle, settled at the sources of the Euphrates River, in the Tsaghkeats gorges. After the accession of Artashes, they came to the palace and began to preach the Gospel.

Being busy with the war in the east, Artashes asked the preachers to come to him again after his return and continue conversations about Christ. In the absence of the king, the Voskeans converted to Christianity some of the courtiers who arrived from the country of the Alans to Queen Satenik, for which they were martyred by the king's sons. The Alan princes, converted to Christianity, left the palace and settled on the slopes of Mount Jrabashkh, where, after living for 44 years, they suffered martyrdom led by their leader Sukias on the orders of the Alan king.

Dogmatic features of the Armenian Church

The dogmatic theology of the Armenian Church is based on the terminology of the great fathers of the Church - centuries: Saints Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril of Alexandria and others, as well as on the dogmas adopted at the first three Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus.

As a result, it was concluded that the Armenian Church does not accept the resolution of the Council of Chalcedon due to the fact that the Council accepted the confession of the Pope, St. Leo the Great. The following words cause rejection of the Armenian Church in this confession:

"For although in the Lord Jesus there is one person - God and man, yet there is another (human nature) from which comes the common humiliation of both, and another (Divine nature) from which comes their common glorification.".

The Armenian Church uses the formulation of St. Cyril, but not to count natures, but to indicate the ineffable and indivisible unity of natures in Christ. Also used is the saying of St. Gregory the Theologian about the “two natures” in Christ, due to the incorruptibility and immutability of the divine and human natures. According to the confession of Nerses Shnorali set out in the “Conciliar Epistle of St. Nerses Shnorali to the Armenian people and correspondence with Emperor Manuel Komnenos”:

"Is one nature accepted for the sake of an indissoluble and inseparable union, and not for the sake of confusion - or are two natures posited only for the sake of showing an unmixed and unchangeable being, and not for separation; both expressions remain within Orthodoxy" .

Department in Vagharshapt

St. Gregory I the Illuminator (302 - 325)
Aristakes I Parthian (325 - 333)
Vrtanes the Parthian (333 - 341)
Hesychius (Iusik) Parthian (341 - 347)

Daniel (347) chorep. Taronsky, elected archbishop.

Paren (Parnerseh) Ashtishatsky (348 - 352)
Nerses I the Great (353 - July 25, 373)
Chunak(? - no later than 369) installed as Catholicos during the exile of Nerses the Great
Isaac-Hesychius (Shaak-Iusik) of Manazkert (373 - 377)
Zaven of Manazkert (377 - 381)
Aspurakes of Manazkert (381 - 386)
Isaac I the Great (387 - 425)
Surmak (425 - 426)
Barkisho Syrian (426 - 429)
Samuel (429 - 434)

434 - 444 - widowhood of the throne