Feast of the Holy Hripsimean Virgins Celebrated
01.06.2026
On June 1, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church solemnly commemorated the Holy Hripsimean Virgins. This feast day is also the annual pilgrimage day of the Monastery of Saint Hripsime.
In the morning, a procession of clergy and pilgrims set out from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to the Monastery of Saint Hripsime, bearing the Reliquary Right Hand containing the holy relics of Saint Hripsime the Virgin.
Before the Arch of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians blessed the clergy and the gathered faithful with the sacred relic and then entrusted it to His Grace Bishop Anania Tsaturyan, Sacristan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
On the occasion of this blessed feast, the Holy and Immortal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Monastery of Saint Hripsime. The celebrant was the Reverend Fr. Hieromonk Davit Ohanian, Deputy Sacristan of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
A sermon on the spiritual significance of the day was delivered by His Eminence Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, a member of the monastic clergy of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In his homily, he reflected on the meaning of the feast and the history of the martyrdom of the Holy Hripsimean Virgins.
“The holy virgins rejected idolatry and did not renounce their faith. This is especially true of Hripsime, who was promised royal dignity and great wealth, yet chose the love of Christ instead. The holy virgin rejected the will of the king and, for this reason, accepted martyrdom,” said Archbishop Haykazun, emphasizing that the martyrdom of the Hripsimean Virgins became, throughout subsequent centuries, an enduring example of self-sacrifice and dedication to God for Christians.
Archbishop Haykazun further noted that the commemoration of the Holy Hripsimean Virgins is not merely a remembrance of historical events, but also an affirmation of our faith, for we follow the example of the holy virgins just as the Apostles followed Christ. Christianity is not only a theological teaching preserved in books, but a living reality that must find expression in the daily lives of believers.
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, a member of the monastic clergy of the Mother See, the Rite of the Blessing of the Four Corners of the World ("Andastan") was performed with the Reliquary Right Hand containing the relics of the holy martyr.
