The quick spreading of Christianity especially on the territory of the Roman Empire since the 3rd century started to worry the kings. Royal charters were issued ordering the Christians to adopt the heathen religion, otherwise they should be persecuted to death. During that period of persecutions any Christians preferred to die than to Betray Jesus Christ.

The Church always appreciated the torments of the people for the sake of Christ, their courage and strength of their faith. Among such people are the martyrs Eugenios and Makarios, martyred during the reign of the King Julianos the Betrayer. Martyrs Valerios, Canditos and Akyoughas have been martyred during the reign of the Kings Diokletianos and  Maximianos.

Commemorating the martyrs’ memory, the Church teaches the faithful to remain loyal to Christ even under most severe circumstances.

Captian Andre is a Uni-Christian saint, who was martyred for the sake of spreading of Christianity. He was from Cilicia and lived during the period of reign of the Roman Emperor Dioklethianos. As a high-ranking officer he served in the Royal Army of Syria and he was a Christian.

During the war against Persians, when his Army consisting of nearly 600 soldiers was forced to retreat, the brave Captain encouraged the soldiers by the name of Jesus Christ and returning the Army to the field of battle, won the war. Following the victory the whole Army converted to Christianity. General Commander of the entire Army, becoming aware of that fact, sent armed forces and killed all Christian soldiers in the gorge of Turos.

Kalinikos was a Christian from Galatia. Being a seller of vegetable oil, he moved from one place to another and preached the Christian faith. He was imprisoned and forced to renounce Christ; he refused, and being subjected to severe torments, was martyred.
Dometios was from a noble Christian family from Tarson. He was the contemporary of the Emperor Dioklethianos. Being a physician, he traveled to various places and healed the needy patients by means of both his medical knowledge and skills and the strength of his faith. Meanwhile he consoled the Christians who were being subjected to torments. However, soon he was imprisoned and was taken to Nicomedia for being subjected to trial. Despite his great desire to be martyred, while being carried for subjecting to torments, on this way he stopped for a minute to pray and passed away.

St. Adrianos was a high-ranking officer, who served in the Roman Army during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximianos. Initially he was heathen and subjected Christians to persecutions. However, witnessing the Christians’ courage and patience and thanks to the prayers and efforts of his wife – Anatolia, he finally becomes Christian. For conversion to Christianity he is imprisoned and subjected to most severe torments and is martyred in 310 A. D. Anatolia, who encouraged the prisoners during the persecutions realized against Christians, exhorted them to remain loyal to their faith.  She served the imprisoned Christians so devotedly that received the name “sister of martyrs”. After the death of her husband she leaves for Byzantine and lives there.

St. Theodoros served as a captain in the Roman Army during the reign of the Roman Emperor Likianos. Despite the fact that Likianos had signed with Kostandianos a Charter on liberating Christians, changes his decision and starts persecutions against Christians. Becoming aware that Theodoros is Christian and, moreover, converts other people to Christianity, Likianos orders him to give up his faith and to follow his previous faith. Thodoros prefers to be subjected to torments than to renounce Christ. Upon the king’s order he is severely beaten, bound to the wooden cross with his head downwards and is beheaded in 319 A. D.

St. Elevturos has lived in Galatia during the reign of the King Dekos. One of the citizens of Galatia criticizes the King Koumvria for his cruelty and as the result of criticism is beheaded. Elevturos, who attended the ceremony of beheading, more strictly criticizes the court and is persecuted for that, but miraculously escapes death. Witnessing the miarcle, many heathens become Christian, and among them - the heathen priest Kalinikos, who proclaims himself Christian and is beheaded. Elevturous, enduring many torments, passes away.

The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus was convened in 431 A. D., during the reign of the King Theodosius Small. 200 Pontiffs participated in the Council with the goal to criticize the false teaching of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. According to his teaching there were two independent - divine and human natures in Christ, contrasting each other. Nestorius preached that Christ was born as a simple man and only later Divinity was settled in His Person, and therefore, the Holy Virgin Mary was not Godmother, but the mother of a simple man.

The Ecumenical Council of Ephesus condemns the teaching of Nestorius and adopts the teaching of St. Cyril of Alexandria as an orthodox teaching, according to which the divine and human natures of Christ do not exist separately, but are united unmixedly, without confusion - one Lord, one Jesus, one face and one united divine and human nature. St. Mary is not the mother of a simple man, but she is Godmother as she gave birth to the Son of God. So, the formulation of St. Cyril of Alexandria: “One is the nature of the Incarnate Word of God” was adopted.

The Armenian Church has not participated in that Ecumenical Council but has adopted its resolutions and ecumenical authority together with the previous Ecumenical Councils.

This is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, Holy Godmother, one of the major feasts of Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the seven feasts dedicated to St. Mary. The fasting period lasts from Monday to Friday.

The Feast of “Shoghakat” of Holy Etchmiadzin commemorates the inauguration of the Cathedral of the Mother See. The fifth century Greek historian Agathangelos tells us of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s divine vision, wherein our Lord Jesus Christ descends from Heaven and strikes the ground with His golden hammer.  In view of biblical Mount Ararat, in the city of Vagharshapat, the place where the Only Begotten descended identified the site for the foundation of the new cathedral of the Christian Armenian Nation. The vision of Gregory became known as “Shoghakat”, as the Saint saw a fiery column descending from the sky.

The foundation was laid in 301 A.D. and the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was consecrated in 303 A.D. on the day of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.  We learn from Archbishop Malachia Ormanian that as the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian Church and Nation is dedicated to St. Mary, the feast of her foundation and inauguration is celebrated in the Armenian Church on the Saturday preceding the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

For 1,700 years, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has been, and continues to be, the spiritual heart and center of the Armenian Church, and is her most sacred sanctuary. Her spiritual, national and historical significance has only increased through the centuries.  Through the vision of St. Gregory, God Incarnate descended upon the soil of Armenia and predetermined her future, making Armenia the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion.

Each year on the Sunday closest to the date of August 15, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, the Holy Mother of God. In the Calendar of the Armenian Church, this feast is the fourth of five major feasts that are commemorated, and is the oldest one dedicated to St. Mary.

In the Holy Bible, there is little information concerning the details of St. Mary’s life. As a result, the story of her Assumption has been preserved and passed on to us through the Holy and Sacred Tradition of the Apostolic Church.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Holy Virgin remains in Jerusalem, and lives under the care of St. John the Evangelist. For nearly 12 years, St. Mary lives by praying, fasting, and often visiting the empty tomb of her beloved Son. During one such visit to the tomb, the Archangel Gabriel appears and gives her the news of her imminent assumption to heaven. St. Mary relays the news to her relatives and all Christians, asking them to bury her in the valley of Gethsemane. St. Mary also asks the Apostle John to celebrate a Divine Liturgy, so she may receive Holy Communion one final time. After receiving Holy Communion, St. Mary returns to her room. As the Apostles prepare to mourn her death, St. John asks the Mother of God to leave an image of her face on a board of wood.  St. Mary takes the board, crosses herself and brings it close to her face.  Moistening the board with her tears, she asks God that by means of the board, people would be cured from disease.  As the Apostles surround St. Mary, an indescribable light appears. The Son of God and the angels of heaven appear in the room. Seeing Christ, St. Mary dies.

St. Bartholomew the Apostle was absent and did not participate in the burial service of St. Mary. Upon his return to Jerusalem, he wishes to see St. Mary for the last time. Per his request, the Apostles open the tomb, yet they do not find the remains of St. Mary.  According to His promise, Jesus Christ had delivered His mother to His heavenly kingdom. The Apostles give the board of St. Mary to St. Bartholomew for consolation.
According to Moses of Khoren, St. Bartholomew brings the board to Armenia. It is kept in the Province of Andzav, in a location called Darbnots. Years later, a church is built there in honor of St. Mary, and a convent is opened.

On the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary, the Ceremony of the Blessing of the Grapes is conducted, and the harvest for the entire year is blessed on that day.

The Armenian Church has a deep and abiding respect towards St. Mary.  Special emphasis is placed on her being a mother, her honesty, her unique spirit of humility, her virtuous behavior and her unselfish dedication. For Armenian women, the Holy Virgin is the embodiment of virtue, pious motherhood, and the protector of family sacredness.

The names of St. Joachim (Jehoiakim) and Anna are closely related to Jesus, as they are the parents of the Holy Mother of God.

According to the tradition, wealthy Joachim was a descendant of King David, and Anna was the daughter of a priest. One day, when performing a service in the cathedral, the priest tells Joachim to stand in the end, as he had no son. Becoming upset, Joachim comes out of the Cathedral and immediately climbs up the mountains, vowing not to descend the mountain until the visit of God. Following his example, Anna, staying at home, devotes herself to prayer and repentance. And once, when Anna sees in the garden the birds playing with their nestlings, becomes sad and cries, as she wasn’t granted the grace of being a mother. Just at that moment the Angel of God visits Anna, telling her that God will be granting her a son who will be the mother of the Savior of the world. Joachim also has the same vision and becoming very happy, gives alms to the poor. The parents decide to devote the baby to the Church. The baby is named Mary, which means “Illuminated”.

The oil-bringing women are the witnesses of Christ’s torments. They are the first to give the good tidings of the Resurrection of our Lord. The Oil-Bringing women followed Christ during all the time of realizing His earthly mission. The church calls them “Oil-Bringing Women” as on Sunday, in the morning, they hurried to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus by the aromatic oils prepared by themselves.

Thanks to their devoutness they were first to see the Rosen God and told about it the Apostles. They were in the upstairs during Pentecost and together with the Apostles received the graces of the Holy Spirit.

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates the memory of St. Joachim and Anna together with the oil-Bringing Women.

Prophet Jeremiah is one of the four Major Prophets of the Old Testament. In comparison with other persons and saints of the Holy Bible, there is much more and rather trustworthy information about the Prophet Jeremiah.

The Prophet Jeremiah lived during the latter part of the seventh century and the first part of the sixth century B. C. He was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town Anathoth not far from Jerusalem. He lived and preached in Jerusalem. Feeling the calling to serve God he has devoutly served refusing to marry and have his own family. The people, being idolatrous and experiencing social difficulties and unfairness, could not understand his honest motives. As the result of such attitude the Prophet Jeremiah prophesizes the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of Temple. Witnessing his nation’s idolatry and sin, he continuously preaches equality and true faith in God, exhorts them to change the way they are living and to be fair in their treatment of one another, to stop taking advantage of aliens, orphans and widows, to stop killing innocent people in this land, to stop worshipping other gods, for that will destroy them (The Book of Jeremiah, 7: 1-6 compare with 5:25-28).

In order to differ St. James Apostle from James, the son of Zebedee, he is named “James son of Alphaeus” and “James Junior”. The Apostle James son of Alphaeus has preached the Gospel in the Southern parts of Palestine and in Egypt, where he has been martyred.

St. Simon the Patriot Apostle is famous as “Simon of Canaan”, which also means “Zealous”. There was a grouping with that name among the Jews, who without making distinctions between means struggled against the foreign Roman yoke and for eliminating the betraying and fond of foreigners Jews. St. Simon has preached and has been martyred in Persia.

St. Thomas Apostle (called the Twin) is known from the passage of the Gospel where the other Apostles state that they have seen Rosen Christ, whereas Thomas insists that he won’t believe unless he sees the scars of nails in His hands and puts his fingers on those scars and his hand in His side. A week later Jesus appears in the indoors to the untrusting Apostle. Thomas, believing the miracle, kneels down and says: “My Lord and my God!”  (The Gospel according to John 20: 24-29). When the remaining Apostles hesitate to go with Christ to visit dead Lazarus, as there was a great danger to be stoned, Thomas bravely says to his fellow disciples, “Let us all go along with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!”  (The Gospel according to John 11:16).

According to the tradition St. Thomas Apostle has preached the Word of God in Parthia and India, and has been martyred and buried in Madras.

According to tradition, while en route to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, two Greek princes come across a chest that once belonged to St. Mary. In Galilee, they see a large crowd gathered in front of a Jewish woman’s house. They inquire and find that the sick are being healed due to the inexplicable power of the chest. The princes bring the box to Constantinople and present it to the Patriarch, who places it in the Church of St. Mary.  The Patriarch then establishes the Feast of the Discovery of St. Mary’s Box.

The Armenian Church celebrates this feast upon the order of the Catholicos Simeon from Yerevan, who accepted this tradition from the Greek Orthodox Church in the late 18th century.

St. Stepanos (Stephen) of Ulnia (Oulnia) was born in the town Kokison near the mountain Tyouros. Being a promised son, he has been brought up and educated under the care of the priest who had baptized him. He was educated according to the divine commandments and was familiar with the Holy Bible. It was said about the priest that “each Sunday together with the other Christians he communicated young Stepanos with the mystery of the Lord’s Body and Blood.”

During the persecutions realized by the King Julianos the Betrayer St. Stepanos has been subjected to severe torments and has been martyred together with his family and other Christians. Later a church has been built over his tomb.

Martyrology of St. Stepanos of Ulnia is the best example of Christian education.

Martyrs Goharine (Goharinus), Tsamides (Zamidus), Tyoukikos (Teuchuicus) and Ratikos (Ratigus), who are known by the name Goharine and his companions, were four brothers. Their father was an Armenian prince who being captivated together with his elder son – Aregh, had been released only after converting to the Moslem faith. However, Davit’s wife brings up and educates her sons in the spirit of Christianity. When they grow up and enter the Islamic Army of Sebastia, they courageously defend Christianity. When it is found out that their father is Moslem and that they have become Christians, they are handed over to the local authorities, but by the efforts of their elder brother are somehow released.

After a while they are handed over again and courageously announce about their being Christian. After threats and tortures they are finally beheaded in 1156 AD, thus displaying their willingness to be martyred for the sake of the truth. Meanwhile by means of their life they realized the following words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: “If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, carry his cross, and follow me.” (The Gospel according to Mathew 16:24).

St. Gregory the Theologian has left rich literary heritage, which was translated into Armenian in the 5-8th centuries AD. In all probability St. Moses of Khoronk has made a part of translations into Armenian. St. Gregory the Theologian is one of the most prominent figures of Christianity, who by means of the struggle against Arians has kept Christianity uncorrupted and by means of his works he has greatly influenced the formulation of the Christian theologian ideology.

St. Gregory the Theologian was born in 328 AD in the village Ariangue near the town Naziangue, of Cappadocia. He was the son of the Bishop Gregory. Gregory studied in Caesaria, and then in Athens. In Athens Gregory became acquainted with St. Barsegh of Ceasaria - one of the prominent figures of Christianity in the future. After leading ascetic life for a while, Gregory returned to Naziangue, where he was ordained as a priest by his father. Later he became the Bishop of Sasima. Together with St. Barsegh of Ceasaria St. Gregory the theologian struggled against the Arians. He participated in the 2nd Ecumenical Council of Constantinople. St. Gregory passed away on January 25, 389 AD.

The quick spreading of Christianity especially on the territory of the Roman Empire since the 3rd century started to worry the kings. Royal charters were issued ordering the Christians to adopt the heathen religion, otherwise they should be persecuted to death. During that period of persecutions any Christians preferred to die than to Betray Jesus Christ.

The Church always appreciated the torments of the people for the sake of Christ, their courage and strength of their faith. Among such people are the martyrs Eugenios and Makarios, martyred during the reign of the King Julianos the Betrayer. Martyrs Valerios, Canditos and Akyoughas have been martyred during the reign of the Kings Dioclethianus and  Maximianus.

Commemorating the martyrs’ memory, the Church teaches the faithful to remain loyal to Christ even under most severe circumstances.