Araratian Week
29.05.2026
From June 1 to 7, 2026, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church will celebrate the Feasts of the Araratian Week, on the occasion of which, with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the sacred relics of Holy Etchmiadzin will be brought out for the veneration of the faithful.
Below is the schedule of the ceremonies.
On May 31, on the eve of the celebrations of the Araratian Week, the following sacred relics will be brought out for the veneration of the faithful:
The Relic of the Wood of Christ’s Cross (the Life-Giving Cross),
The Right Hand of Saint Gregory the Illuminator,
The Relic of Saint Patriarch Sahak Partev.
The relics will remain available for veneration until 8:00 p.m.
At 11:00 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
June 1 — Feast of the Holy Hripsimian Virgins
At 10:30 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at Saint Hripsime Monastery.
At 9:30 a.m., the relics of Saint Hripsime the Virgin will be carried in ecclesiastical procession from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to Saint Hripsime Monastery.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Antasdan Service (Blessing of the Four Corners of the World) will be celebrated.
June 2 — Feast of the Holy Gayanian Virgins
At 10:30 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at Saint Gayane Monastery.
At 10:00 a.m., the relics of Saint Gayane the Virgin will be carried in ecclesiastical procession from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to Saint Gayane Monastery.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Antasdan Service (Blessing of the Four Corners of the World) will be celebrated.
June 4 — Feast of Saint John the Baptist and Bishop Athenogenes
At 10:30 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at Saint Shoghakat Monastery, where the relics of Saint John the Forerunner and Hieromartyr Bishop Athenogenes will be borne.
June 6 — Feast of the Deliverance of Saint Gregory the Illuminator from Khor Virap
At 10:30 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at Khor Virap Monastery, where, on the occasion of the feast, the relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator will be brought.
June 7 — Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin
At 11:00 a.m. — Holy and Immortal Liturgy at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
Following the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of the Catholicos of All Armenians, a prayer service will be offered for the steadfastness and everlasting radiance of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
