Nothing is new under the sun: part 2


Khoren I Muradbekyan: Catholicos of All Armenians was elected in 1932. From the day of the election, he was under the control of punitive bodies. During the investigation of the clergy, the task was to collect discrediting information about him and put pressure on the Catholicos. First, the Catholicos' brother, Levon Muradbekyan, was arrested and shot. The same fate befell his other brother, Sergey Muradbekyan, an employee of the Margara customs house. In 1938, Muradbekyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, also became a victim of terrorism organized by the authorities, being killed in the Veharan.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives
 

Nothing is new under the sun: part 1


The Bolshevik authorities launched an active struggle against the church with the church opposition called the “Free Church Brotherhood”. They declared themselves church reformers: they demanded the abolition of the hierarchal order of the Armenian Church, the class of high-ranking spiritual authorities, the order of celibacy, the abdication of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the election of a new Catholicos, who would be “of the people”, finally, “return the church to the believers” and limit the Armenian Church to the borders of Soviet Armenia. The task set before them was, in particular, to collect false accusations against the monks of St. Etchmiadzin and to forge manuscripts. The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan was given to the “Free Church Brotherhood” by the decision of the City Council. This sect did not have a long life. Its leader, Bishop Ashot Shakhyan, in 1927, before his death, wrote a petition to Catholicos Gevorg V, where he confessed the wrongness of his step and asked to return his title. The defrocked bishop dies in solitude, abandoned even by his political patrons.
Source: RA Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Archives and National Archives

My world


In 2010, 15 deacons received priestly ordination and anointing from the Primate of the Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan. Today, they serve in various dioceses in Armenia and the Diaspora. On the 15th anniversary of their ordination, the brothers from the diocese gathered and visited their spiritual father, the illegally imprisoned Archbishop Mkrtich.

Muron's Journey


After the blessing in the Mother See, the Holy Muron is sent to the dioceses and hierarchal structures of the Armenian Apostolic Church around the world. The jar of muron and the patriarchal kondak are welcomed by the Armenians of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Syria, Argentina, Russia, and Artsakh. It is with this sacred oil that churches are anointed in different parts of the world, believers are baptized, and clergy are ordained and anointed. Only the Armenian Church has an anointing oil with this composition and meaning. Among the Christian peoples, only Armenians consider the mark of muron to be the seal of their national identity.

Bovurkhan Monastery in Artsakh


Bovurkhan Monastery is located in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh. It was built in the 17th century, in the historical Varanda province of Artsakh. The monastery complex was the summer residence of the Varanda meliks. In 2023, the monastery was annexed by Azerbaijan along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
The Bovurkhan Monastery Complex is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

St. Ascension Church in Artsakh


The Church of the Holy Ascension in Berdzor is the first church in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to declare independence in the 20th century. It was consecrated on May 31, 1998.
The church, along with the city of Berdzor, came under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces in 2022. Satellite photos from May 2024 show that it was completely destroyed by Azerbaijan.
The deliberate destruction of the church is a gross violation of international law and is considered a grave crime against humanity.
 

Gandzasar in Artsakh


Gandzasar Monastery is located in the Martakert region of the Republic of Artsakh, near the village of Vank. Hasan Jalal Dolan, the prince of the Khachen province of Artsakh, began the construction of the St. John Church in 1216. The construction lasted 22 years.
In 2023, the monastery, along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, was annexed by Azerbaijan. Gandzasar Monastery is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

Shoshkavank in Artsakh


Shoshkavank is located in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh, on a mountain peak between the villages of Msmna and Khachmach. In 2023, the monastery was occupied by Azerbaijan along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Shoshkavank is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Ulubab Monastery in Artsakh


The village of Ulubab is in the Askeran region of the Republic of Artsakh. The village, which has a rich history, was the royal residence of Uli Pap, a descendant of the famous Hasan Jalalyan dynasty of Artsakh, and was named Ulupap or Ulubab after him. St. Gevorg of Ptkesberk is located here. In 2023, together with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the monastery was occupied by Azerbaijan. The monastery of the Holy Young Children is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Holy Mother of God Church in Khnushinak


The Holy Mother of God Church in the village of Khnushinak, Martuni region, Republic of Artsakh is a basilica built on two spans of arches. It was built in 1860, with the funds of Hayrapet Bey Dolukhanyan from Shushi. In 2023, the church was occupied by Azerbaijan along with the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Holy Mother of God Church in Khnushinak is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

Bri Eghtsi Monastery Complex in Artsakh


Bri Eghtsi Monastery is located in the Martuni region of the Republic of Artsakh.
It is the largest monastery in Artsakh by area. It was built in the 13th century. The monastery complex is especially famous for its walled khachkars.
In 2023, the monastery was occupied by Azerbaijan along with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Bri Eghtsi Monastery in the village of Hatsi is under the jurisdiction of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
 

The Valley of Cross Stones in Artsakh


On the roadside of the village of Shahmasur in Artsakh is the area called the Valley of Cross-Stones, which is a medieval Armenian cemetery. It was built in the 11th-12th centuries. The number of officially certified cross-stone monuments in the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic reaches two thousand. After the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by Azerbaijan in 2023, their condition is unknown.