Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
16.08.2026
On August 16, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. On this joyful day, the Holy and Immortal Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. The celebrant was His Eminence Archbishop Haigazun Najarian, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See.
Reflecting on the meaning of the feast, His Eminence spoke about the Gospel image of the Holy Mother of God, through which we see how the Holy Virgin humbly accepts the honor of becoming the Mother of the Lord and, as the Intercessor for her people, continually intercedes with her Son, Jesus Christ. In this regard, Archbishop Haigazun urged those present to continually seek the intercession of the Mother of God in their prayers.
The Archbishop then referred to the oral tradition associated with the Feast of the Assumption and to the significant place of the Holy Virgin in the life of the Church and the Armenian people. He emphasized that our fathers named numerous churches and holy sites in honor of the Mother of God; the altars of our churches were dedicated to the Holy Virgin with the Infant Jesus; and many Armenian mothers named their daughters Mariam, inspired by the exceptional and virtuous image of the Mother of God.
Following the Holy Liturgy, a procession of clergy proceeded from the Mother Cathedral to the open-air altar of St. Trdat, where, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, the solemn Rite of the Blessing of the Grapes was celebrated.
At the conclusion of the rite, the Supreme Patriarch addressed the faithful with a word of blessing, after which blessed clusters of grapes were distributed to those present.
Address of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, at the Conclusion of the Rite of the Blessing of the Grapes
Beloved and pious children of our Holy Apostolic Church
We have celebrated the Rite of the Blessing of the Grapes and blessed the clusters of grapes, as well as the vineyards and fields from which the fruit is gathered and brought for our people's enjoyment.
We have also offered our supplication and prayer that, through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, grace and blessings may abundantly be poured upon our lives; that our lives may become fruitful, filled with goodness and blessings; and that we, the children of our people, in Armenia and the Diaspora, may continue, with optimism, hope, and faith, to build and strengthen our Homeland and make the life of our people more prosperous, so that we may always be able to drive away from ourselves all the trials brought by the times and build a bright, prosperous, and happy future for our people.
May the love, grace, and blessing of the Lord always be with the children of our nation—today and forever. Amen.
