When did Armenia adopt Christianity in what year. Christianity in Armenia. Armenian Apostolic Church

On the this moment Christianity is considered the dominant religion in Armenia, and most Armenians are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, as in any country, there are also religious minorities, followers of other churches and people who continue the oldest known traditions of their ancestors, who are adherents of pre-Christian beliefs. It is difficult to say with certainty in what year the Armenians converted to Christianity. Despite the fact that the traditional date still exists (301 AD), it is believed that the first Christians appeared on the territory of Armenia somewhat earlier. We will talk about this and what other religious movements exist in the country today.

Christianity

According to the legend, Christianity began to spread on the territory of Armenia in the 1st century AD. e. through the sermons of the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus, who are considered the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which has the largest number of parishioners. In 301, Christianity was given the status of the state religion, thanks to which Armenia became the first Christian country in the world.

According to the 2011 census, almost 95% of Armenians identify themselves as Christians. The majority (92.6%) are parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the rest:

• evangelists - 1%;
• Catholics - 0.5%;
• Jehovah's Witnesses - 0.3%;
• Orthodox - 0.25%;
• Molokans - 0.1%;
• adherents of other currents of Christianity - 0.26%.

An important fact is that representatives of national minorities (Greeks, Ukrainians, Russians, Georgians) living in Armenia, for the most part, are also parishioners of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Speaking about the faith of the Armenians, one cannot call the country completely Christian, since freedom of religion is supported at the legislative level in the state. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church enjoys certain privileges that other branches of Christianity and other religions professed on the territory of Armenia are deprived of.

Other religions practiced by the citizens of Armenia

Yezidism. Despite the widespread spread of Christianity, it is impossible to unambiguously answer the question of what faith the Armenians are. Thus, about 35,000 ethnic Yezidis live in Armenia, 69% of whom profess Yezidism, a creed based on Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism is one of ancient religions information about which has survived to this day. According to the beliefs of the followers of Zoroastrianism, the god Ahura Mazda revealed a revelation to his prophet, Spitama Zarathustra. Zarathustra's teaching is based on the freedom of moral choice, that is, a person himself comes to a choice in favor of right decisions, good deeds. Studying the foundations of Zoroastrianism, one can notice both monotheistic features (Ahuramazda is the only creator god) and dualistic features (two opposites on which the ethical aspect of the teaching is built: Asha - truth, creation, goodness, harmony; Druj - lie, destruction, evil , degradation). At the same time, Zoroastrianism is not a dogmatic religion, because its basis is freedom and rationalism. In addition to Zoroastrianism, Yezidism also contains elements drawn from Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Islam. There are quite a few Muslims in Armenia, about a thousand of them live in Yerevan, where a mosque operates. They are mainly ethnic Persians, Kurds and Azerbaijanis.

Judaism. The Jewish community in Armenia is also small: only about three thousand people, most of them living in the capital.

Paganism. About 5,500 people consider themselves to be pagans in Armenia. These are mainly Yezidis (about 1/10 of all Yezidis) and Kurds (1/2 of all Kurds). Only less than a thousand ethnic Armenians identify themselves as pagans.

The restoration of some traditions inherent in the Armenians of the pre-Christian period began at the beginning of the 20th century and was marked by the publication of the work of Garegin Nzhdeh, a well-known politician and philosopher, called “Tseghakron”, which translates as “national religion”. A new neo-pagan trend was born - ethanism, which received official status after the fall of the USSR. Now even some representatives of the ruling elite consider themselves adherents of this religion.

Adherents of ethanism call themselves "ethanos" and consider it their task to revive the polytheistic traditions, mythology and beliefs that had the status of a state religion before the adoption of Christianity in 301. However, to call ethanism a religion is not entirely correct, since it is the totality of all neo-pagan ideas spread in the territory of Armenia. However, all neo-pagan trends are based on a common origin and similar ideas.

Summing up, we can say the following: despite the year in which the Armenians adopted Christianity, it was quite common in the country even before it received official status. However, given the fact that many representatives of other faiths live on the territory of the state, today's Armenia cannot be called an absolutely Christian country.

The history of Armenian culture dates back to ancient times. Traditions, way of life, religion are dictated by the religious views of the Armenians. In the article, we will consider the questions: what is the faith of the Armenians, why did the Armenians adopt Christianity, about the baptism of Armenia, in what year did the Armenians adopt Christianity, about the difference between the Gregorian and Orthodox churches.

Adoption of Christianity by Armenia in 301

The Armenian religion originated in the 1st century AD, when the founders of the Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) Thaddeus and Bartholomew preached in Armenia. Already in the 4th century, in 301, Christianity became the official religion of the Armenians. Tsar Trdat III laid the foundation for this. He came to rule the royal throne of Armenia in 287.

Initially, Trdat was not supportive of Christianity and persecuted believers. He imprisoned Saint Gregory for 13 years. However, strong faith Armenian people won. Once the king lost his mind and was healed thanks to the prayers of Gregory, a saint who preached Orthodoxy. After that, Trdat believed, was baptized and made Armenia the first Christian state in the world.

Armenians - Catholics or Orthodox, today make up 98% of the country's population. Of these, 90% are representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, 7% of the Armenian Catholic Church.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is independent of the Orthodox and Catholic churches

The Armenian Apostolic Church stood at the origins of the birth of Christianity of the Armenian people. It belongs to the oldest Christian churches. Its founders are the preachers of Christianity in Armenia - the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew. The dogmas of the AAC are significantly different from Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Armenian church autonomous from the Orthodox and Catholic churches. And this is its main feature. The word apostolic in the title refers us to the origins of the church and indicates that Christianity in Armenia became the first state religion.

The AAC keeps track of the Gregorian calendar. However, she does not deny the Julian calendar either.

During the absence of political administration, the Gregorian Church took over the functions of government. In this regard, the role of the Catholicosate in Etchmiadzin became dominant for a long time. For several centuries in a row, it was considered the main center of power and control.

In modern times, the Catholicosate of all Armenians in Etchmidizian and the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antilias operate.

Catholicos - Bishop in the AAC

Catholicos is a related concept of the word bishop. The title of the highest rank in the AAC.

The Catholicos of All Armenians includes the dioceses of Armenia, Russia and Ukraine. The Catholicos of Cilicia includes the dioceses of Syria, Cyprus and Lebanon.

Traditions and rituals of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Matah - an offering in gratitude to God

One of the most important rites of the AAC is matah or refreshments, a charity dinner. Some confuse this rite with animal sacrifice. The meaning is to give alms to the poor, which is an offering to God. Matah is performed as a thanksgiving to God for the successful end of some event (the recovery of a loved one) or as a request for something.

To conduct a matah, livestock (a bull, a sheep) or a bird are slaughtered. Bouillon is boiled from meat with salt, which was consecrated in advance. Meat should never be left uneaten until the next day. Therefore, it is divided and distributed.

forward post

This post precedes Lent. The advanced post begins 3 weeks before the Great and lasts 5 days - from Monday to Friday. Its observance is historically conditioned by the fast of St. Gregory. This helped the apostle to cleanse himself and heal Trdat with prayers.

communion

Unleavened bread is used during communion, however, there is no fundamental difference between unleavened or leavened. Wine is not diluted with water.

The Armenian priest dips the bread (previously consecrated) into wine, breaks it and gives it to those who wish to take communion.

sign of the cross

It is done with three fingers from left to right.

How is the Gregorian Church different from the Orthodox

Monophysitism - the recognition of the one nature of God

For a long time, the differences between the Armenian and Orthodox churches were not noticeable. By about the 6th century, differences began to be felt. Speaking about the division of the Armenian and Orthodox churches, one should remember the emergence of Monophysitism.

This is an offshoot of Christianity, according to which the nature of Jesus is not dual, and he does not have a corporeal shell, like a man. Monophysites recognize in Jesus one nature. So, at the 4th Council of Chalcedon there was a split between the Gregorian Church and the Orthodox. The Monophysite Armenians were recognized as heretics.

Differences between the Gregorian and Orthodox churches

1. The Armenian Church does not recognize the flesh of Christ, its representatives are convinced that his body is ether. The main difference lies in the reason for the separation of the AAC from Orthodoxy.
2. Icons. In Gregorian churches there is no abundance of icons, as in Orthodox ones. Only in some churches there is a small iconostasis in the corner of the temple. Armenians do not pray in front of holy images. Some historians attribute this to the fact that the Armenian Church was engaged in iconoclasm.

1. Difference in calendars. Representatives of Orthodoxy are guided by the Julian calendar. Armenian - into Gregorian.
2. Representatives of the Armenian Church are baptized from left to right, Orthodox - vice versa.
3. Spiritual hierarchy. In the Gregorian Church there are 5 degrees, where the highest is the catholicos, then the bishop, priest, deacon, reader. There are only 3 degrees in the Russian Church.
4. Fasting lasting 5 days - arachawork. Starts 70 days before Easter.
5. Since the Armenian Church recognizes one hypostasis of God, only one is sung in church songs.. Unlike the Orthodox, where they sing about the trinity of God.
6. During Lent, Armenians can eat cheese and eggs on Sundays.
7. The Gregorian Church lives according to the postulates of only three councils, although there were seven of them. The Armenians could not get to the 4th Council of Chalcedon, and therefore they did not accept the postulates of Christianity and ignored all subsequent councils.

It became the first Christian state in the world.

In the published data of the 2011 Armenian census, 92.6% of the country's population belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, 1.0% of the population belong to the Protestant Armenian Evangelical Church, 0.5% belong to the Armenian Catholic Church, 0.3% to the denomination of Jehovah's Witnesses (which differs from both traditional Christian churches and Protestant ones), 0.25% Orthodox, 0.1% belong to the Molokan spiritual Christian denomination, and an unknown number of Christians in the census data are classified as "other" (total 0, 26% of the country's population), which, in addition to Christians, includes Muslims, Jews and a number of other non-Christian religions. Thus, slightly less than 95% of the country's population are Christians.

The Armenian Apostolic Church is part of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, which also include the Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syrian and Malankara Orthodox churches.

Among a number of national minorities, there is a high degree of religious assimilation, so 77% of the Greeks of Armenia belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, 57% of Ukrainians, 41% of Russians and Georgians, 34% of Assyrians belong to the same church. There is also a steady trend towards a reduction in the number and proportion of national minorities, which are traditional bearers of those confessions that do not have a traditional distribution among ethnic Armenians.

Yezidism

During the census, the Yezidis were qualified as an independent ethnic group, and their traditional religion in the officially published census materials appears under the name "Sharfadin". Of the 35,308 ethnic Yezidis, 69% (24,518 people) belong to the Sharfanid religion, in addition, 31% of ethnic Kurds (682 people) belong to the Sharfanid religion. In total, 25,204 followers of the Sharfanid religion (0.83% of the country's population) live in Armenia. Yezidis mainly live in the villages of the Ararat Valley, northwest of Yerevan. On September 29, 2012, the Yazidi temple "Ziarat" was solemnly opened in the Armavir region of Armenia. This is the first temple built outside the original homeland of the Yezidis - northern Iraq, designed to meet the spiritual needs of the Yezidis of Armenia.

Judaism

3,000 Jews live in Armenia, mostly in Yerevan.

Islam

Followers of Islam live in Armenia, this religion is practiced by Kurds, Persians, Azerbaijanis and other peoples. There is a mosque in Yerevan for Muslims.

Today in Armenia, the Muslim Kurdish community numbers several hundred people, most of them live in the Abovyan region, a certain number of Muslim Azerbaijanis live near the eastern and northern borders of Armenia in the countryside. About 1,000 Muslims live in Yerevan - Kurds, Persians and immigrants from the Middle East.

Paganism

According to the 2011 census, there are 5,434 followers of paganism in the country. The vast majority of Armenian citizens who are recorded as pagans in the census are ethnic Yezidis (3624 people or 10% of the total number of ethnic Yezidis), as well as ethnic Kurds (half of the total number of ethnic Kurds in Armenia, or 1068 people, are recorded as pagans).

Among ethnic Armenians, 734 people or 0.02% of all ethnic Armenians of the country indicated themselves as pagans. Getanism is a neo-pagan religious movement that recreates the traditional pre-Christian religion of the Armenians. Founded by Armenologist Slak Kakosyan on the basis of the writings of the famous Armenian nationalist Garegin Nzhdeh. Neo-pagan rites are regularly held in the temple of Garni. The head of the pagan communities in Armenia is the priest Zohrab Petrosyan. The exact number of followers is unknown. Armenian neo-paganism has a certain popularity, in particular among supporters of far-right and nationalist movements. Hetanism's followers included prominent Armenian politicians Ashot Navasardyan, founder of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, and Andranik Margaryan, the country's former prime minister.

Freedom of religion in Armenia

official statistics

Religious composition of the population of Armenia according to the 2011 census

Nationality	total population	having a religion	Armenian Apostolic	Evangelical	Sharfadinskaya	Catholic	Jehovah witnesses	Orthodox	pagans	Molokans	others (including Muslims, Jews)	Have no religion	Refused to answer	Religion not specified
Armenia (total)	3 018 854	2 897 267	2 796 519	29 280	25 204	13 843	8 695	7 532	5 434	2 872	7 888	34 373	10 941	76 273
Armenians	2 961 801	2 843 545	2 784 553	28 454	0	13 247	8 581	3 413	734	0	4 563	33 254	10 086	74 916
Yezidis	35 308	33 772	3 597	532	24 518	0	40	0	3 624	0	1 461	413	547	576
Russians	11 911	11 078	4 899	150	0	336	37	2 798	0	2 755	103	325	132	376
Assyrians	2 769	2 556	935	47	0	11	14	601	2	0	946	162	20	31
Kurds	2 162	2 098	180	42	682	0	2	0	1 068	0	124	29	18	17
Ukrainians	1 176	1 121	674	10	0	44	8	360	0	19	6	34	8	13
Greeks	900	838	692	6	0	24	2	109	0	0	5	41	9	12
Georgians	617	401	253	10	0	23	4	93	0	0	18	17	16	183
Persians	476	401	27	0	3	12	0	1	0	0	358	17	36	22
other	1 634	1 393	661	29	1	143	6	150	6	98	299	64	51	126
refused to answer the question about nationality	100	64	48	0	0	3	1	7	0	0	5	17	18	1

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Dependencies Unrecognized and partially recognized states ¹ Partially in Europe or entirely in Asia, depending on the drawn border. ² Also in Africa. ³ Also in Oceania. 4 Also in Europe.

An excerpt characterizing Religion in Armenia

The French colonel could hardly hold back a yawn, but he was courteous and, apparently, understood the full significance of Balashev. He led him past his soldiers by the chain and informed him that his desire to be presented to the emperor would probably be immediately fulfilled, since the imperial apartment, as far as he knew, was not far away.
They passed the village of Rykonty, past the French hussar hitching posts, sentries and soldiers saluting their colonel and examining the Russian uniform with curiosity, and drove to the other side of the village. According to the colonel, the head of the division was two kilometers away, who would receive Balashev and escort him to his destination.
The sun had already risen and shone cheerfully on the bright greenery.
They had just left behind the tavern on the mountain, when a group of horsemen appeared to meet them from under the mountain, in front of which, on a black horse with a harness shining in the sun, rode a tall man in a hat with feathers and black hair curled to the shoulders, in a red mantle and with long legs sticking out forward, as the French ride. This man galloped towards Balashev, shining and fluttering in the bright June sun with his feathers, stones and gold galloons.
Balashev was already at a distance of two horses from the rider galloping towards him with a solemnly theatrical face in bracelets, feathers, necklaces and gold, when Yulner, a French colonel, whispered respectfully: "Le roi de Naples." [King of Naples.] Indeed, it was Murat, now called the Neapolitan king. Although it was completely incomprehensible why he was a Neapolitan king, he was called that, and he himself was convinced of this and therefore had a more solemn and important air than before. He was so sure that he was really the king of Naples, that when, on the eve of his departure from Naples, during his walk with his wife through the streets of Naples, several Italians shouted to him: “Viva il re!”, [Long live the king! (Italian)] he turned to his wife with a sad smile and said: “Les malheureux, ils ne savent pas que je les quitte demain! [Unfortunate, they don't know that I'm leaving them tomorrow!]
But despite the fact that he firmly believed that he was a Neapolitan king, and that he regretted the sorrow of his subjects he left, in recent times, after he was ordered to enter the service again, and especially after a meeting with Napoleon in Danzig, when his august brother-in-law said to him: “Je vous ai fait Roi pour regner a maniere, mais pas a la votre”, [I made you king in order to reign not according to his own, but according to mine.] - he cheerfully set to work familiar to him and, like a horse that was corrugated, but not fat, fit for service, sensing himself in a harness, played in the shafts and, having discharged himself as colorfully as possible and more expensive, cheerful and contented, galloping, without knowing where or why, along the roads of Poland.
Seeing the Russian general, he royally, solemnly, threw back his head with his hair curled to his shoulders and looked inquiringly at the French colonel. The colonel respectfully conveyed to His Majesty the meaning of Balashev, whose name he could not pronounce.
– De Bal macheve! - said the king (with his determination overcoming the difficulty presented to the colonel), - charme de faire votre connaissance, general, [it is very pleasant to meet you, general] - he added with a royally gracious gesture. As soon as the king began to speak loudly and quickly, all royal dignity instantly left him, and he, without noticing it himself, went into his usual tone of good-natured familiarity. He put his hand on the withers of Balashev's horse.
- Eh, bien, general, tout est a la guerre, a ce qu "il parait, [Well, general, things seem to be going to war,] - he said, as if regretting a circumstance that he did not could judge.
- Sire, - answered Balashev. - l "Empereur mon maitre ne desire point la guerre, et comme Votre Majeste le voit," said Balashev, using Votre Majeste in all cases, [The Emperor of Russia does not want her, as your majesty please see ... your majesty.] with the inevitable an affectation of the increasing frequency of the title, referring to a person for whom this title is still news.
Murat's face shone with stupid contentment while he listened to monsieur de Balachoff. But royaute oblige: [royalty has its duties:] he felt the need to speak with Alexander's envoy about state affairs, as king and ally. He dismounted from his horse and, taking Balashev by the arm and moving a few steps away from the reverently waiting retinue, began to walk back and forth with him, trying to speak significantly. He mentioned that Emperor Napoleon was offended by the demands for the withdrawal of troops from Prussia, especially now that this demand had become known to everyone and that the dignity of France was offended by this. Balashev said that there was nothing offensive in this demand, because ... Murat interrupted him:
“So you don’t think Emperor Alexander was the instigator?” he said unexpectedly with a good-natured stupid smile.
Balashev said why he really believed that Napoleon was the instigator of the war.
- Eh, mon cher general, - Murat interrupted him again, - je desire de tout mon c?ur que les Empereurs s "arrangent entre eux, et que la guerre commencee malgre moi se termine le plutot possible, [Ah, my dear general, I wish with all my heart that the emperors end the matter between themselves and that the war started against my will end as soon as possible.] - he said in the tone of conversation of the servants who wish to remain good friends, despite the quarrel between the masters. And he went on to questions about the Grand Duke, about his health and about the memories of the fun and amusing time spent with him in Naples.Then, as if suddenly remembering his royal dignity, Murat solemnly straightened up, took the same position in which he stood at the coronation, and waving right hand, said: - Je ne vous retiens plus, general; je souhaite le succes de vorte mission, [I will not detain you any longer, general; I wish success to your embassy,] - and, fluttering with a red embroidered robe and feathers and shining with jewels, he went to the retinue, respectfully waiting for him.
Balashev rode on, according to Murat, expecting to be presented to Napoleon himself very soon. But instead of an early meeting with Napoleon, the sentries of the Davout infantry corps again detained him at the next village, as well as in the advanced chain, and the adjutant of the corps commander, called, escorted him to the village to Marshal Davout.

Davout was Arakcheev of Emperor Napoleon - Arakcheev is not a coward, but just as serviceable, cruel and incapable of expressing his devotion except by cruelty.
The mechanism of the state organism needs these people, just as wolves are needed in the organism of nature, and they always exist, always appear and hold on, no matter how incongruous their presence and proximity to the head of government may seem. Only this necessity can explain how the cruel, who personally tore out the mustaches of the grenadiers and who, due to his weakness, could not endure the danger, the uneducated, uncourt Arakcheev, could remain in such strength with the chivalrously noble and gentle character of Alexander.
Balashev found Marshal Davout in the barn of a peasant's hut, sitting on a barrel and busy with written work (he checked the scores). The adjutant stood beside him. It was possible to find a better place, but Marshal Davout was one of those people who deliberately put themselves in the most gloomy conditions of life in order to have the right to be gloomy. For the same reason they are always hastily and stubbornly busy. "Where is there to think about the happy side human life when, you see, I am sitting on a barrel in a dirty shed and working, ”the expression on his face said. The main pleasure and need of these people is that, having met the revival of life, to throw this revival into the eyes of my gloomy, stubborn activity. Davout gave himself this pleasure when Balashev was brought in. He went even deeper into his work when the Russian general entered, and, looking through his glasses at Balashev's animated face, impressed by the beautiful morning and the conversation with Murat, he did not get up, did not even move, but frowned even more and grinned maliciously.
Noticing the unpleasant impression made by this technique on Balashev's face, Davout raised his head and coldly asked what he needed.
Assuming that such a reception could only be made to him because Davout did not know that he was the adjutant general of Emperor Alexander and even his representative before Napoleon, Balashev hastened to announce his rank and appointment. Contrary to his expectations, Davout, after listening to Balashev, became even more severe and rude.
- Where is your package? - he said. - Donnez le moi, ije l "enverrai a l" Empereur. [Give it to me, I will send it to the emperor.]

The ancient Armenian pagan religion is the traditional religion of Armenians, closely related to Armenian mythology. Armenian mythology or Ditsabanutsyun - based on a complex of proto-Indo-European beliefs, religious beliefs and cults of ancient Armenians that existed before the official adoption in 301 under King Trdat III of Christianity as the state religion. Armenian mythology belongs to the system of ancient representations of the ancestors of modern Indo-European peoples.

The ancient Armenian religious system combined elements of deism, monism, monotheism and monolatry.

The pantheon of Armenian gods was compared with ancient gods:

• Aramazd - with Zeus,
• Anahit - with Artemis,
• Vahagn - with Hercules,
• Astghik - with Aphrodite,
• Nane - with Athena,
• Mihr - with Hephaestus,
• Tire - with Apollo or Hermes.

To understand the meaning of Christianity for Armenia, it is important to remember the words of the commander Saint Vartan Mamikonyan - “The enemy thinks that Christianity is only clothes for us, but he will see that you cannot change the color of your skin.”

Christianity first appeared in Armenia in the 1st century. together with the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, and in the II-III centuries the teaching of Christ spread widely in the country. However, Christians were persecuted by the pagan society: one of the most revered in Armenia are the saints Hripsime and Gayane, martyred by the pagan king. The preacher of Christianity - St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by King Trdat III in a dungeon at the foot of Mount Ararat (Khor Virap) and, according to legend, spent 13 years there: he survived thanks to a woman who brought him food and drink. All these years, Saint Gregory prayed fervently, and his prayers were heard by the Lord. When Tsar Trdat went mad, Saint Gregory managed to heal him, and the tsar announced the adoption of Christianity by the country. Thus, in 301 Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion.

Most of the population of Armenia are Christians - followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Thanks to the sermons of St. Gregory the Illuminator (302-326) - by whose name the Armenian Apostolic Church is often referred to as the Armenian-Gregorian.

Tradition tells that St. Gregory had a vision: Christ with a halo descends from heaven and with a golden hammer indicates the place where the first Armenian church should be erected. That is why the temple built here, which became a cathedral, was called Etchmiadzin, which in Armenian means “The Only Begotten Came Down,” that is, Jesus Christ. For more than 1700 years, Etchmiadzin has been the center of the Armenian Church - the heart of the Armenian people. Here is the Throne of the Mother Church and the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians.

The Armenian Church became the main consolidating force of the Armenian people: churches and monasteries became the main centers of culture, education, and writing.

In the published data of the 2011 Armenian census, 92.6% of the country's population belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, 1.0% of the population belong to the Protestant Armenian Evangelical Church, 0.5% belong to the Armenian Catholic Church, 0.25% Orthodox, 0. 1% belong to the spiritual Christian denomination Molokans.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church is the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (currently Garegin II), whose permanent residence is in Etchmiadzin. He is also called the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of the Ararat National Throne of the Mother Church. He is the supreme spiritual head of all believing Armenians, the guardian and defender of the faith of the Armenian Church, its liturgical rites, canons, traditions and unity. Within the canonical limits, he is endowed with full power in the administration of the Armenian Church.

Main Orthodox holidays in Armenia

• January 6 Christmas
• January 27 St. Sargis Day
• March 25 Tsaghkazard (Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem)
• Easter. Holy Christ's Resurrection
• 98 days after Easter Vardavar
• August 12 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Christian world is so secularized that the European peoples, once the stronghold of evangelical values, are called post-Christian civilization. The secularity of society allows embodying the most phantasmagoric aspirations. The new moral values ​​of Europeans come into conflict with what religion preaches. Armenia is one of the few examples of fidelity to millennial ethno-cultural traditions. In this state, at the highest legislative level, it is evidenced that the centuries-old spiritual experience of the people is a national treasure.

What is the official religion in Armenia

More than 95% of the three million population of the country are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This Christian community is one of the oldest in the world. Orthodox theologians attribute the Transcaucasian community of believers to five other, so-called anti-Chalcedonian communities. The established theological definition does not give an exhaustive answer to the question of what religion is in Armenia.

The Orthodox call the Armenians Monophysites - recognizing in Christ one physical essence, the Armenian theologians accuse the Orthodox of the opposite. These dogmatic subtleties are understood only by theologians. Upon closer examination, it turns out that the mutual accusations are erroneous. The official name of the community of believers in Armenia is "The One Holy Ecumenical Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church".

The first Christian state in the world

A whole decade before the adoption of the Edict of Milan by the Great, in 301, Tsar Trdat III broke off relations with paganism and proclaimed Christianity the state religion. In times of terrible persecution of the followers of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire, the ruler took a decisive and unexpected step. This was preceded by turbulent events in Transcaucasia.

Emperor Diocletian officially proclaims Trdat king of Armenia, which was part of the Roman province of Cappadocia. In 287, he, through mediation, returns to his homeland and takes the throne. Being a pagan, Trdat is taken to zealously fulfill the order, while at the same time starting the persecution of Christians. The cruel execution of 40 Christian girls makes a sharp turn in the fate of the king and his subjects.

Great educator of the Armenian people

The baptism of an entire nation took place thanks to the educational work of St. Gregory. He was a descendant of the noble Arksaid family. For the confession of faith, Gregory endured many torments. Through the prayers of Saint Trdat, he was punished with mental illness for torturing Christian women. Gregory forced the tyrant to repent. After that, the king was healed. Having believed in Christ, he was baptized along with his courtiers.

In Caesarea - the main city of Cappadocia - in 302, Gregory was elevated to the rank of bishop. After returning to Armenia, he begins to baptize the people, build churches and schools for preachers. In the capital of Tsar Trdat III, by revelation from above, the saint founded a temple, later called Etchmiadzin. On behalf of the Enlightener, the Armenian Church is called Gregorian.

Centuries of struggle

Christianity, as the official religion of Armenia, became an irritant to the rulers of neighboring Persia. Iran has taken decisive action to eradicate the new faith and promote Zoroastrianism. Pro-Persian landowners contributed a lot to this. From 337 to 345, Shapur II, having executed tens of thousands of Christians in Persia itself, made a series of devastating campaigns in Transcaucasia.

Shahinshah Yazdegerd II, wishing to strengthen his position in Transcaucasia, sent an ultimatum in 448. The Council of the Clergy and Laity gathered in Artashat answered that the Armenians recognize the secular power of the Persian ruler, but religion must remain inviolable. By this resolution, Armenia rejected the proposal to adopt an alien faith. The uprising began. In 451, the largest battle in the history of the country took place on the Avarayr field. Although the defenders lost the battle, the persecution was suspended. After that, for another thirty years, Armenia fought for its faith, until in 484 a peace treaty was concluded with Persia, according to which the Armenians were allowed to freely practice Christianity.

Administrative structure of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Until 451, the Armenian Apostolic Church represented one of the local communities of the one Christian Church. However, as a result of an incorrect assessment of the decisions of the fourth, a misunderstanding arose. In 506, the Armenian Church officially separated from the Byzantine one, which significantly influenced the history of the state, its political and social activities.

The main religion of Armenia is practiced on five continents by more than 9 million believers. The spiritual head is the Patriarch-Kathalikos, whose title means that he is the spiritual leader of the Nation both in Armenia itself and Armenians in dispersion around the world.

The residence of the Armenian Patriarch since 1441 has been in the jurisdiction of the Catholicos there are dioceses in all CIS countries, as well as in Europe, Iran, Egypt, North and Australia and Oceania, vicariates in India and Far East. In the canonical plan, the Armenian patriarchs in Istanbul (Constantinople), Jerusalem and the Great House of Cilicia (the modern city of Kozan in Turkey) are subordinate to the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate.

Features of the Armenian Church

The Armenian Church is practically a mono-ethnic religious community: the vast majority of believers are Armenians. A small community of Udins in the north of Azerbaijan and several thousand Azerbaijani Tats belong to this denomination. For the bosha gypsies assimilated by the Armenians, wandering in the Transcaucasus and Syria, this is also their native religion. Armenia retains the Gregorian chronology of the church calendar.

The liturgical features are as follows:

• Communion bread is used as in Catholic tradition, unleavened, and wine does not dissolve in water.
• Liturgy is served exclusively on Sundays and on special occasions.
• The sacrament of unction is performed only on clergy, and immediately after death.

Divine services in Armenian churches are performed in the ancient language of Grabar, the priest delivers a sermon in modern Armenian. Armenians are baptized from left to right. Only the son of a priest can become a priest.

Church and State

According to the Constitution, Armenia is a secular state. specific legislative act, which determines that Christianity is the state religion of Armenia, no. However, the spiritual and moral life of society is not conceivable without the participation of the Church. Thus, Serzh Sargsyan considers the interaction between the state and the church to be vital. In his speeches, he declares the need to maintain relations between secular and spiritual authorities both at the present historical stage and in the future.

Armenian legislation establishes certain restrictions on the freedom of activity of other religious confessions, thereby showing which religion is dominant in Armenia. Adopted back in 1991, the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Freedom of Conscience” regulates the position of the Apostolic Church as a nationwide religious association.

Other religions

The spiritual image of society is formed not only by orthodox religion. Armenia is home to 36 parishes of the Armenian Catholic Church community, which are called "Franks". The Franks appeared in the 12th century along with the Crusaders. Under the influence of the preaching of the Jesuits, a small community of Armenians recognized the jurisdiction of the Vatican. Over time, supported by the missionaries of the Order, they united into the Armenian Catholic Church. The residence of the patriarch is located in Beirut.

The small communities of Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Persians living in Armenia profess Islam. In Yerevan itself, in 1766, the famous