Saint Gregory the Illuminator Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ Γρηγόριος Φωστή
Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Born	257
Died	330
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Armenian Apostolic Church Eastern Orthodox Churches Oriental Orthodox Churches Eastern Catholic Churches
Feast
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Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener (Armenian: Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ translit. Grigor Lusavorich, Hebrew: Γρηγόριος Φωστήρ‎ or Φωτιστής, Gregorios Phoster or Photistes), the founder and patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was born about 257. Image File history File links Stgregoryilluminator. ... Events Pope Sixtus II succeeds Pope Stephen I Births Saint Gregory the Illuminator, founder and patron saint of the Armenian Church (approximate date) Deaths Pope Stephen I Categories: 257 ... Events May 11 - Constantine I refounds Byzantium, renames it New Rome, and moves the capital of the Roman Empire there from Rome. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic... Official standard of Karekin II Catholicos of Armenia The Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Õ€Õ¡Õµ Ô±Õ¼Õ¡Ö„Õ¥Õ¬Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Եկեղեցի, Hay Arakelagan Yegeghetzi), sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church or the Gregorian Church, is the worlds oldest national church[1] [2] and one of the most ancient Christian communities [3]. // Baptism of Tiridates III. The earliest... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... “Hebrew” redirects here. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are often depicted as having halos. ... Official standard of Karekin II Catholicos of Armenia The Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Õ€Õ¡Õµ Ô±Õ¼Õ¡Ö„Õ¥Õ¬Õ¡Õ¯Õ¡Õ¶ Եկեղեցի, Hay Arakelagan Yegeghetzi), sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church or the Gregorian Church, is the worlds oldest national church[1] [2] and one of the most ancient Christian communities [3]. // Baptism of Tiridates III. The earliest... Events Pope Sixtus II succeeds Pope Stephen I Births Saint Gregory the Illuminator, founder and patron saint of the Armenian Church (approximate date) Deaths Pope Stephen I Categories: 257 ...

He belonged to the royal line of the Arsacid Dynasty, being the son of a Parthian named Anak, who assassinated Chosrov I King of Armenia, and thus brought ruin on himself and his family. His mother's name was Okohe, and the Armenian biographers tell how the first Christian influence he received was at the time of his conception, which took place near the monument raised to the memory of the holy apostle Thaddeus. Educated in Caesarea in Cappadocia by a Christian nobleman Euthalius, Gregory sought, when he came to man's estate, to introduce the Christian doctrine into his native land. At that time Tiridates III, a son of king Chosroes, sat on the throne. Influenced partly by the fact that Gregory was the son of his father's enemy, he subjected him to much cruel usage, and imprisoned him for fourteen years in a pit on the Ararat Plain under the present day church of Khor Virap located near by historical city Artashat in Armenia. It would be useless to recount the various forms of torture which the orthodox accounts represent the saint to have endured without permanent hurt; almost any one of his twelve trials would have been certain death to an ordinary mortal. But vengeance and madness fell upon the king, and at length Gregory was called forth from his pit to restore his royal persecutor to reason, by virtue of Gregory's saintly intercession. Iran Under the Arsacid Dynasty. ... Reproduction of a Parthian warrior as depicted on Trajans Column The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Origins Bust of Parthian soldier, Esgh-abad Museum, Turkmenia. ... Christianity percentage by country, purple is highest, orange is lowest Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch... For other uses, see Saint Jude (disambiguation). ... Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri) is an ancient town of Anatolia which served as the residence of the kings of Cappadocia. ... In ancient geography, Cappadocia or Capadocia, Turkish Kapadokya (from Persian: Katpatuka meaning the land of beautiful horses, Greek: Καππαδοκία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) was the name of the extensive inland district of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). ... Tiridates was the name of three members of the Arsacid Dynasty of Parthia: Tiridates I of Parthia was the brother of Arsaces I. Tiridates II of Parthia ruled c. ... The Khor Virap (Խոր Վիրապ in Armenian, meaning deep dungeon) monastery is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Armenia. ... (Artaxata), city on Araks River in the Ararat valley, founded by Artashes in 166 BC. Strabo and Plutarch described it as a large and beautiful city, terming it as the Armenian Carthage. ...

The cause of Christianity was now secured; king and princes and people vied with each other in obedience to Gregory's instruction. As a result, in 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Convents, churches and schools were established. In 302, Gregory received consecration as Patriarch of Armenia from Leontius of Caesarea. In 318 Gregory appointed his son Aristaces to be his successor. About 331 he withdrew to a cave and lived as a hermit on Mt. Sebuh in the province of Daranalia in Upper Armenia, and there he died a few years later unattended and unobserved. When it was discovered he was dead his corpse was removed to the village of Thodanum or Tharotan. The remains of the saint were scattered far and near in the reign of Zeno. His head is believed to be now in Italy, his right hand at Echmiadzin, Armenia, and his left at the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. Events September 3 - The republic of San Marino is established (traditional date). ... Nations with state religions:  Buddhism  Islam  Shia Islam  Sunni Islam  Orthodox Christianity  Protestantism  Roman Catholic Church A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. ... This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... Diocletian begins passing laws against Christians. ... His Holiness, the Catholicos of Armenia and of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi, due to its Greek origin) is the head bishop of Armenias dominant church, the Armenian Apostolic Church. ... Events Gregory the Illuminator appoints his son Aristax as successor in the Patriarchate of Armenia. ... Events Gregory the Illuminator withdraws from the world; his death occurs sometime in the next couple of years. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erÄ“mos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ... Echmiadzin or Ejmiatsin (Armenian: Ô·Õ»Õ´Õ«Õ¡Õ®Õ«Õ¶) is the holiest town in Armenia and the headquarters of the katholikos, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. ... Image:Armenian Catholicossate Antelias. ... Antelias is a city in Lebanon, which is a country in the middle east. ...

A number of homilies, possibly spurious, several prayers, and about thirty of the canons of the Armenian Church are ascribed to Gregory. The homilies appeared for the first time in a work called Haschacnapadum at Constantinople in 1737; a century afterwards a Greek translation was published at Venice by the Mekhiterists; and they have since been edited in German by J. M. Schmid (Ratisbon, 1872). The original authorities for Gregory's life are Agathangelos, whose History of Tiridates was published by the Mekhitarists in 1835; Moses of Chorene, Historiae Armenicae; and Simeon Metaphrastes. A Life of Gregory by the Vartabed Matthew, published in Armenian at Venice in 1749, was translated into English by Rev. S. C. Malan, 1868. A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. ... Map of Constantinople. ... Events 12 February — The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia, Latin: Venetia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,251 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Agathangelos was a supposed secretary of Tiridates III, King of Armenia, under whose name there has come down a life of the first apostle of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, who died about 332. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Symeon Metaphrastes was the most renowned of the Byzantine hagiographers. ... Events While in debtors prison, John Cleland writes Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure). ... Solomon Caesar Malan (April 22, 1812 – November 25, 1894), was a British divine and orientalist. ... Media:Example. ...

The Armenian Church became extremely rich, besides the old temples which the church had confiscated, was granted large tracts of land. The church became the owner of approximately 10,000 farms and the clergy exploited these exactly as did the other Armenian princes. During wartime the church was obliged to assist the king with soldiers as well as taxes. It is on record that the church, if necessary, was obliged to provide the king with 5,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry soldiers. Armenian Church can refer to: Armenian Catholic Church Armenian Apostolic Church External reference and links Jerusalem Photos Archive - Armenian Church in Jerusalem Pictures of Armenian Churches This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

This article was taken from the 9th edition (1880) of an unnamed encyclopedia, and has since been edited on Wikipedia. Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Source

• Agathangelos, History of St. Gregory and the Conversion of Armenia

See also

• Khor Virap
• Armenian Catholic Church
• Eastern Christianity
• Hermit

The Khor Virap (Խոր Վիրապ in Armenian, meaning deep dungeon) monastery is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Armenia. ... After the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the rest of Oriental Orthodoxy, formally broke off communion from the Chalcedonian churches, numerous Armenian bishops made attempts to restore communion with the Catholic Church (Rome). ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in Greece, Russia, Armenia, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... Onuphrius lived as a hermit in the desert of Upper Egypt in the late 4th century A hermit (from the Greek erēmos, signifying desert, uninhabited, hence desert-dweller) is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion and/or isolation from society. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Gregory the Illuminator

• Catholic Encyclopedia — Gregory the Illuminator
• Armenian Church Website