Assembly of Congregants Issued a Statement

Assembly of Congregants Issued a Statement

On June 16–21, during the Monastic Assembly held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, participants presented a statement in light of the recent anti-Church campaign instigated by the authorities of the Republic of Armenia. “We, the monastic clergy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, gathered here during the grace-filled celebrations of the Araratian Week and participating in the 9th Monastic Assembly, reaffirm our sacred oath and filial love and unconditional devotion to the Holy Armenian Church, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and to our beloved Patriarch and Father of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. We deem unacceptable and condemn the anti-Church and anti-national course pursued by the current authorities of the Republic of Armenia in all its various forms.
Relics of St. John the Forerunner and St. Athenogenes the Bishop Brought to the Shoghakat Monastery

Relics of St. John the Forerunner and St. Athenogenes the Bishop Brought to the Shoghakat Monastery

On June 19, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated the Feast of St. John the Forerunner (the Baptist) and St. Athenogenes the Bishop, which also marks the pilgrimage day of the Holy Shoghakat Monastery in Vagharshapat. In the morning, the reliquary cross containing the relics of St. John the Baptist and Bishop Athenogenes was solemnly borne in procession by the clergy from the Mother See to the Shoghakat Monastery. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, led the procession up to the Arch of St. Gregory the Illuminator, bestowing blessings upon the faithful with the reliquary cross.
Feast of St. Gayane and Her Companions Celebrated

Feast of St. Gayane and Her Companions Celebrated

On June 17, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church commemorated the Holy Virgin-Martyrs Gayane and her companions. On this occasion, a solemn morning procession of clergy set forth from the Mother See and proceeded to the Monastery of Saint Gayane. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, led the procession to the Arch of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, blessing the faithful with the Right Hand reliquary containing the saint’s holy relics. Thereafter, His Holiness entrusted the reliquary-bearing Right Hand to the Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Anania Tsaturyan, the Grand Sacristan of the Mother See.
Participants of the Monastic Assembly visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, Yerablur Military Pantheon, and Komitas Pantheon

Participants of the Monastic Assembly visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, Yerablur Military Pantheon, and Komitas Pantheon

On June 16, the monastic clergy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, serving in the dioceses and church institutions of Armenia and the Diaspora, gathered at the Mother See on the occasion of the Monastic Assembly and, before its official opening, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay homage to the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. Following the wreath-laying ceremony, the clergymen offered an intercessory service for the repose of the holy martyrs.
His Holiness Karekin II Welcomes Newly Ordained Priests Following Their Spiritual Preparation

His Holiness Karekin II Welcomes Newly Ordained Priests Following Their Spiritual Preparation

On June 16, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, welcomed the newly ordained priests who received holy orders on May 4 in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. Having completed their forty-day period of spiritual preparation at the Mother See under the guidance of the Grand Sacristan, Reverend Father Anania Tsaturyan, the priests gathered to receive His Holiness’s blessing and exhortation. During the meeting, Father Anania presented the newly ordained clergy, seeking the Catholicos’s paternal blessing and guidance for their pastoral mission.
Feast of the Holy Virgins of Hripsime Celebrated

Feast of the Holy Virgins of Hripsime Celebrated

On June 16, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Virgins of Hripsime. On this day, the faithful also make a pilgrimage to the St. Hripsime Monastery. In the morning, a procession of clergy from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, accompanied by the faithful and the drumbeats of the students of the Etchmiadzin Youth Center, made its way to the St. Hripsime Monastery, carrying the sacred relics of the Virgin Hripsime. In the morning, a solemn procession of clergy from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, joined by the faithful and the resonant drumbeats of the Hayordeats Etchmiadzin Youth Center’s pupils, set forth to the St. Hripsime Monastery, bearing the sacred relics of the holy Virgin Hripsime.
Araratian Week

Araratian Week

June 16 – Feast of the Virgin-Martyrs of Saint Hripsime

  • 09:30: Procession from the Mother See to Saint Hripsime Monastery with the relics of the saint

  • 10:30: Divine Liturgy at Saint Hripsime Monastery

  • Rite of Andastan (Blessing of the Four Corners of the World)

  • June 17 – Feast of the Virgin-Martyrs of Saint Gayane

    • 10:00: Procession with the relics of Saint Gayane to her namesake monastery

    • 10:30: Divine Liturgy at Saint Gayane Monastery

    • Rite of Andastan

    •
    First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan Visits Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

    First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan Visits Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

    Today, June 7, the First President of the Republic of Armenia, Mr. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, visited the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and held a private meeting with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. During the meeting, the president expressed his full support for His Holiness, while strongly condemning the unconstitutional encroachments by the authorities of the Republic of Armenia against the 1700-year-old Armenian Church.
    International Conference Opens in Bern on Preserving Armenian Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh

    International Conference Opens in Bern on Preserving Armenian Spiritual and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh

    At the initiative of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, an international conference titled “Religious Freedom: Preserving the Armenian Spiritual, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh” was held in Bern, Switzerland, from May 26 to 28. The event was organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Protestant Church of Switzerland. On May 27, the conference opened with the blessing and message of His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians. His Holiness expressed his gratitude to Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches; Rev. Rita Famos, President of the Protestant Church of Switzerland; the members of the WCC governing body; and the organizers and supporters of the conference—thanks to whose efforts, once again, the challenges faced by the Armenian people in the aftermath of the occupation of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh are being raised on the international stage.
    Response of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the False Statements of Head of the Caucasus Muslims Board

    Response of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the False Statements of Head of the Caucasus Muslims Board

    During a recent session of the Council of Qadis held in Baku, Sheikh ul-Islam and Head of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Allahshukur Pashazade, once again assumed the role of disseminator of Azerbaijani disinformation and lies, targeting the Armenian people and the Armenian Church with hatred and hostility. Surpassing even his previous fabrications, Pashazade claimed that the centuries-old Armenian sanctuaries in Armenia and the region — including the 1700-year-old Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin — allegedly lie on "historical Azerbaijani lands," and that Armenians have purportedly "appropriated" these territories. He concluded this series of absurd assertions by portraying the Armenian Apostolic Church as a threat to the countries of the region.
    His Holiness Karekin II Meets with Swiss MP Erich Vontobel at Holy Etchmiadzin

    His Holiness Karekin II Meets with Swiss MP Erich Vontobel at Holy Etchmiadzin

    On May 15, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, received Mr. Erich Vontobel, Member of the National Council of the Swiss National Assembly, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. During the meeting, His Holiness extended his gratitude to the Swiss authorities for their solidarity with Armenia and their dedicated efforts to help overcome the trials confronting the Armenian people. The Catholicos commended the resolution initiated by Mr. Vontobel and adopted by both chambers of the Swiss National Assembly, which advocates for the protection of the rights of forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh and ensures their safe, rights-based, and dignified return to their historical homeland.
    Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

    Commemoration of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

    On April 24, in solemn observance of the Memorial Day of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Mother Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, presided over by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. On this sacred occasion, the reliquary of the Holy Martyrs was brought forth for the veneration of the faithful. The principal celebrant of the Divine Liturgy was His Grace Bishop Daniel Findikyan, Head of the Postgraduate Division of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See. His Holiness Karekin II offered his patriarchal message to the Armenian faithful worldwide during the liturgy. Following the Divine Liturgy, a solemn procession of clergy bearing the reliquary of the Holy Martyrs made its way to the courtyard of the Mother Cathedral.
    Message from His Holiness Karekin II on the Feast of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

    Message from His Holiness Karekin II on the Feast of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

    We are assembled in this sacred sanctuary, hallowed by the descent of Christ, to renew our vows of love and dedication to God, to our homeland, and to Holy Etchmiadzin — which, through divine providence, has become the bastion of our nation’s spiritual awakening, the forge of our identity, and the wellspring of strength and renewal throughout our millennia-old history. The Lord has called us His own, a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9), and by the vision granted to our father, St. Gregory the Illuminator, He gifted us Holy Etchmiadzin — as our ark of salvation and the unshakable cornerstone of our faith. As Apostle Paul affirms, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:11). The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the enduring sign of our people’s covenant with God, inscribed upon the soul of every Armenian. Holy Etchmiadzin is our spiritual essence and national visage — our heart and spirit, past, present, and future. Through Holy Etchmiadzin, our people have been steadfastly united. Indeed, there is no Holy Etchmiadzin without the Armenian nation, and the Armenian nation without Holy Etchmiadzin. As the historian Arakel of Tabriz wrote: “Upon the Right Hand and Holy Etchmiadzin the entire Armenian nation is bound together.” Holy Etchmiadzin is the unfading, radiant beacon illuminating our people’s path to salvation. From the Catholicosate See of Holy Etchmiadzin, guidance and blessing have been bestowed upon Armenians through the centuries. In this Christ-revealed place, the re-establishment of the Patriarchal Throne centuries ago led our people to reunite in Armenia and restore their independent statehood. Though various powers at times sought to obstruct the Holy Church’s mission and subjugate it to their interests. Amen.

    Read more

    News

    Videos

    Liturgical Calendar
    Donation

    Donation

    Today, it is necessary to become the reliable pillar of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church as a steadfast companion of the future.

    Online Transfers

    Donate