Armenian
From the Church of Armenia
Churches of this rite1
Armenian Catholic Church
| Rite | Armenian |
|---|---|
| Apostle | St Thaddeus and St Bartholomew, by tradition |
| Hierarchy | Patriarchal Church: a Patriarch with eparchies in the Middle East and abroad |
| Where | Led by the Patriarch of Cilicia, based in Beirut, Lebanon. |
| Dioceses | 18 |
| Members | About 754,000 |
Origins
Armenia is honoured as the first Christian nation, through St Gregory the Illuminator around 301.
History
Bonds with Rome grew in the Kingdom of Cilicia. Abraham Ardzivian became the first Catholic patriarch in 1742. The Mekhitarist monks, founded in 1701, kept Armenian learning alive at Venice. In the genocide of 1915, Bishop Ignatius Maloyan died a martyr, and he was beatified in 2001.
Worship
The Armenian liturgy, in Classical Armenian. St Gregory of Narek was named a Doctor of the Church in 2015.
Today
Spread across Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Europe and the Americas.
| Population | About 754,000 |
|---|---|
| Geography | Lebanon, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Europe and the Americas |
| Dioceses | 18 |
| Apostle | St Thaddeus and St Bartholomew, by tradition. St Gregory the Illuminator converted the nation |
| Liturgy | The Armenian Divine Liturgy (Soorp Patarag), with one anaphora, attributed to St Athanasius |
| Language | Classical Armenian (Grabar) |
| Music | Sharakan hymns, with an old system of signs called khaz. St Nerses Shnorhali is among the great hymn writers |
| Hierarchy | One Patriarch (of Cilicia) |
| Year | Follows its own traditions of fasts and feasts |
History
Armenia became a Christian nation around 301. St Mesrop Mashtots created its alphabet about 405, so the Bible and liturgy could be in Armenian. The Kingdom of Cilicia drew close to Rome in the 12th to 14th centuries. A Catholic patriarchate began in 1742. The genocide of 1915 killed and scattered much of the people.