HISTORY

The Armenian Church, also known as the Armenian Apostolic Church, is an independent Christian church embracing the majority of the Armenian people.

Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's most ancient Christian community. It was founded by apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew. The apostle Thaddeus (35 to 43 A.D.) was preaching in Southern Armenia, and Bartholomew, (44 to 60 A.D.) was preaching in the North. Both were to be persecuted and martyred. The Cathedral of St. Thaddeus, built in the 6th Century, still stands over his tombstone in the Northwestern region of Iran near Tabriz. In the cathedral there are chapels in the name of the Virgin Sandoukht, daughter of King Sanatrouk, who during the early days of Christendom had accepted the new faith, but later, due to political pressure denied it, contrary to his daughter who remained steadfast and was executed by her own father.

St Bartholomew Monastery (13th c.) in Vaspurakan. After Apostal's martyrdom his body is believed to have been interred here.

Many converts to Christianity were made in Armenia through the first, second, and third centuries after Christ. The number of Christians grew rapidly among the people. When Trdat (Tiridates) III took over the throne in 287 A.D., a fresh wave of persecutions started. Later in 301, St. Gregory the Illuminator formally established the Church in Armenia, and King Trdat III was baptized, and he declared Christianity as the state religion. Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. However, Christianity was ushered into Armenia by the people rather -the rulers.

Saint Gregory Illuminator was chosen as the head of the Armenian Church, and a cathedral was erected at Etchmiadzin (near Yerevan in Armenia) in 303 A.D. Echmiadzin means The coming of the only Begotten because it was built where people said Jesus Himself descended from heaven to show where He wanted a church built.

Holy Etchmiadzin

Since then the Cathedral has been the ecclesiastical metropolis of the Armenian nation. It is said to be the oldest monastic foundation in the Christian world.

Since the 5th century the Armenian church has embraced Monophysitism, a doctrine that states that Christ has a single human and divine nature. Adherence to Monophysitism has kept the Armenian church separated from other Christian churches.

Early in the fifth century A.D., Saint Mesrop, also known as Mashtots, devised the alphabet for the Armenian language, and religious and historical works began to appear as part of the effort to consolidate the influence of Christianity. For the next two centuries, political unrest paralleled the exceptional development of literary and religious life that became known as the first golden age of Armenia.

Throughout its history Armenia has been overrun by invaders and has been looted and ravaged many times. Its wealth was confiscated, its women and nobility enslaved. Its lands were occupied either partially or wholly, its territories partitioned among other powers. Yet after each subjugation Armenia rebuilt its devastated country and regained independence or autonomy. Assyria, Babylonia, the Medes, Achamenid Persia, Alexander the Great, the Romans, the Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks and Turks invaded Armenia; but none was able to crush the independent spirit of the people.

During World War I, following the 1915 Turkish Genocide of Armenians in Western Armenia, many Armenians fled to the eastern regions of Armenia. Some survivors were able to flee to other lands. In 1920 the Soviet Republic of Armenia was formed on the remaining one tenth part of Historical Armenia, with Yerevan as its capital. Armenia is now an independent state situated between Muslim Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan, and partially Muslim Georgia.