Nothing is new under the sun: part 3


By the decision of the Bolshevik government on November 17, 1921, the clergy were deprived of the right to vote and be elected, and the teaching of religious subjects in schools was prohibited. Article 6 of the constitution adopted on February 2, 1922, the church ceased to be a legal entity and had no right to acquire any property. This was followed by the seizure of movable and immovable property belonging to the church and their declaration as state property. In 1930, the monasteries of Sanahin and Sevan were dissolved. In 1933, the Geghard monastery was closed, and Ayrivan was also declared a closed archaeological site. As a result of persecution and repression, in 1938, only 7 clergy remained in the Mother See. Only the Mother Cathedral of St. Etchmiadzin was operational.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives

Martyrs of the Regime, Part 3: Priests of the Armenian Church


In 1930-1936, 109 priests were repressed by the Bolshevik authorities. In total, 148 clergy were repressed in Soviet Armenia by 1938. 209 cases of violence were recorded against them, from imprisonment to torture and execution. The main accusations were anti-Soviet agitation, nationalism and counter-revolution. The false criminal cases and fabricated charges brought against the clergy were revealed years later. All the repressed were acquitted due to the lack of evidence of the crime.
Blessed names in the Armenian Church calendar, their martyrdom is commemorated every year, at the Holy Liturgy, along with 148 repressed Armenian clergy.
The Armenian Church has seen and experienced Bolshevism

Nothing is new under the sun: part 2


Khoren I Muradbekyan: Catholicos of All Armenians was elected in 1932. From the day of the election, he was under the control of punitive bodies. During the investigation of the clergy, the task was to collect discrediting information about him and put pressure on the Catholicos. First, the Catholicos' brother, Levon Muradbekyan, was arrested and shot. The same fate befell his other brother, Sergey Muradbekyan, an employee of the Margara customs house. In 1938, Muradbekyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, also became a victim of terrorism organized by the authorities, being killed in the Veharan.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives
 

Nothing is new under the sun: part 1


The Bolshevik authorities launched an active struggle against the church with the church opposition called the “Free Church Brotherhood”. They declared themselves church reformers: they demanded the abolition of the hierarchal order of the Armenian Church, the class of high-ranking spiritual authorities, the order of celibacy, the abdication of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the election of a new Catholicos, who would be “of the people”, finally, “return the church to the believers” and limit the Armenian Church to the borders of Soviet Armenia. The task set before them was, in particular, to collect false accusations against the monks of St. Etchmiadzin and to forge manuscripts. The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan was given to the “Free Church Brotherhood” by the decision of the City Council. This sect did not have a long life. Its leader, Bishop Ashot Shakhyan, in 1927, before his death, wrote a petition to Catholicos Gevorg V, where he confessed the wrongness of his step and asked to return his title. The defrocked bishop dies in solitude, abandoned even by his political patrons.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives

My world


In 2010, 15 deacons received priestly ordination and anointing from the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan. Today, they serve in various dioceses in Armenia and the Diaspora. On the 15th anniversary of their ordination, the brothers from the diocese gathered and visited their spiritual father, the illegally imprisoned Archbishop Mkrtich.

Translators' Day at the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople


This year, the week of the Feast of the Holy Translators was also marked by celebrations of the fifth anniversary of the enthronement of Patriarch Sahak Mashalyan at the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Among the festivities was the presentation of the documentary film “Path of Identity” about the history of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

 

What does business have to do with the social climate?


The economy and capital, in general, love minimal risks and maximum predictability. In these unpredictable and unstable times, where can capital escape? Anna Sargsyan spoke with Aharon Chilingaryan, a partner at BDO Armenia.

Muron's Journey


After the blessing in the Mother See, the Holy Muron is sent to the dioceses and hierarchal structures of the Armenian Apostolic Church around the world. The jar of muron and the patriarchal kondak are welcomed by the Armenians of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Syria, Argentina, Russia, and Artsakh. It is with this sacred oil that churches are anointed in different parts of the world, believers are baptized, and clergy are ordained and anointed. Only the Armenian Church has an anointing oil with this composition and meaning. Among the Christian peoples, only Armenians consider the mark of muron to be the seal of their national identity.

Bovurkhan Monastery in Artsakh


Bovurkhan Monastery is located in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh. It was built in the 17th century, in the historical Varanda province of Artsakh. The monastery complex was the summer residence of the Varanda meliks. In 2023, the monastery was annexed by Azerbaijan along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
The Bovurkhan Monastery Complex is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

St. Ascension Church in Artsakh


The Church of the Holy Ascension in Berdzor is the first church in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to declare independence in the 20th century. It was consecrated on May 31, 1998.
The church, along with the city of Berdzor, came under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 2022. Satellite photos from May 2024 show that it was completely destroyed by Azerbaijan.
The deliberate destruction of the church is a gross violation of international law and is considered a grave crime against humanity.
 

Gandzasar in Artsakh


Gandzasar Monastery is located in the Martakert region of the Republic of Artsakh, near the village of Vank. Hasan Jalal Dolan, the prince of the Khachen province of Artsakh, began the construction of the St. John Church in 1216. The construction lasted 22 years.
In 2023, the monastery, along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, was annexed by Azerbaijan. Gandzasar Monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

Shoshkavank in Artsakh


Shoshkavank is located in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh, on a mountain peak between the villages of Msmna and Khachmach. In 2023, the monastery was occupied by Azerbaijan along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Shoshkavank is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.