Feast of St. Vardanants at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
27.02.2025
On February 27, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of St. Vardanants — Vardan Mamikonyan and his 1,036 Compatriots. On this occasion, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, presided over by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.
The celebrant was Very Reverend Father Senior Archimandrite Shahe Ananyan, Rector of the Gevorgian Theological Seminary and the Vaskenian Theological Academy in Sevan.
Diocesan leaders, clergy from the Mother See, and numerous faithful Armenians took part in the sacred service.
In his sermon, Father Shahe reflected on the profound significance of the Feast of St. Vardanants, emphasizing: "The meaning of St. Vardanants is great, not simply because it marks an ecclesiastical feast or commemorates a great battle, but because it stirs within us two essential and timeless virtues upon which our very existence depends—patriotism and love for God. The 1,036 martyrs stand as a collective symbol of all that has been lacking in our midst through the ages, yet they have always been revered as the highest of virtues—love for God and devotion to one's homeland."
The significance of Vardanants would remain hollow if we failed to unite these two concepts and recognize that the St. Vardanants Commanders and the 1,036 Martyrs offered the most precious of sacrifices—their very lives—in defense of these sacred virtues. In doing so, they bore witness to Christ, and their testimony was one of unity.
Beloved, these two concepts—testimony and unity—truly encapsulate the essence of St. Vardanants.
Father Shahe also conveyed heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the clergy and the gathered faithful to His Holiness Karekin II on his Naming Day.
Following the Divine Liturgy, under the presidency of His Grace Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian, Director of the Department of External Relations and Protocol of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, a Patriarchal Blessing was bestowed.
The spiritual assembly and the faithful offered a unified prayer to God for the steadfastness of the Catholicosate of All Armenians, the enduring radiance of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the long, blessed life and fruitful shepherding of His Holiness the Catholicos.
