CAUCASUS CHURCH HISTORY

I took a tour to the Caucasus countries - Azerbaijan,Georgia and Armenia and learned about thehistory of Christianity in Armenia and Georgia.

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1.ARMENIAApostles of Jesus Christ - Thaddaeus (Jude) andBartholomew evangelized Armenians in the 1stCentury.

1.1.Khor Virap Gregory the Illuminator (257-331) was imprisonedin a dungeon under the church of Khor Virapfor 13 years by King Tiridates III. Later whenthe king went mad, he met Gregory and convertedto be a Christian. Armenia adopted Christianityas its state religion in 301.

1.2.Mount AraratAt the background of Khor Virap was Mount Ararat.It is identified with “mountains of Ararat” asthe resting place of Noah’s Ark in Genesis 8:4. Itis the principal national symbol of Armenia andis depicted on the coat of arms of Armenia alongwith Noah’s Ark.

1.3.Etchmiadzin CathedralGregory the Illuminator built Etchmiadzin Cathedralbetween 301-303 over a pagan temple,symbolizing the conversion from paganism toChristianity. The cathedral, a UNESCO WorldHeritage site, is the oldest one in the world. It iscurrently under renovation.Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the mother church ofthe Armenian Apostolic Church. It is importantnot only religiously, but also politically and culturallyto Armenia. Roman Catholic Pope Francisvisited this cathedral in 2016.

1.4.Geghard Monastery

Gregory the Illuminator also founded GeghardMonastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, inthe 4th Century. Geghard means “the Monasteryof the Spear”. It kept the spear which woundedJesus at the Crucifixion, allegedly brought to Armeniaby Apostle Thaddaeus. 1.5.Armenian Alphabet ParkMesrop Mashtos created the Armenian alphabetin 405. His main motivation is to have anArmenian Bible. Armenian was one of the firstlanguages into which the bible was translated in436.Mesrop Mashtos also created the Georgian alphabet.1.6.Oriental OrthodoxyThe Armenian Church upheld the Oriental OrthodoxChristology position - miaphysitism. Itdiffers from the Chalcedonian Definition issuedat the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The ArmenianChurch officially severed ties with Rome andConstantinople in 554. 1.7.Zvartnots CathedralWe visited the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral, a UN-ESCO World Heritage site, dedicated to Gregorythe Illuminator. It was built in 643-653 during the

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Byzantine empire, at the place where a meetingbetween King Tiridates III and Gregory the Illuminatortook place at the edge of EtchmiadzinCathedral. The cathedral is well known for itsarchitecture in the world. 1.8.Sevanavank Monastery

We climbed 230 stairs to Sevanavank Monastery.It is located on a peninsula of Lake Sevan, whichis one of the largest high-mountain freshwaterlakes in the world. Founded in 874 by PrincessMariam, the daughter of King Ahsot Erkat, shededicated the churches to Apostles Thaddeusand Bartholomew.

2.GEORGIAApostle of Jesus Christ - Andrew evangelizedGeorgians in the 1st Century.Unlike Armenia, Georgia followed the EasternOrthodox Church to accept the doctrine of theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

2.1.Tsaminda Ninos Monastery or Bodbe ConventTsaminda Ninos Monastery is the final restingplace of Nino, who baptized Queen Nana. KingMirian III was hunting in the woods when darknessfell upon the land and the king was totallyblinded. The light did not resume until Mirianprayed to Nino’s God for aid. The king convertedto Christianity. Georgia declared Christianityas the official religion in 337. Nino’s attribute,a grapevine cross, is a symbol of Georgia Christianity.

2.2.Jvary MonasteryNino erected a large wooden (or vine) cross onthe site of a pagan temple to announce the startof the Christian church. A small church waserected over the remnants of the wooden crossin 545 and subsequently the present building.A UNESCO World Heritage site, the monasterywas built on the very margin of a cliff overlookingMtskheta. It is one of the best examples of harmonicrelation of architecture with nature.

2.3.Svetitskhoveli CathedralSvetitskhoveli Cathedral is known as the burialsite of the claimed Jesus Christ’s robe. In the 1stCentury a Georgian Jew from Mtskheta namedElias was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified.Elias bought Jesus’ robe from a Roman soldier atGolgotha and brought it back to Georgia. Returningto his native city, he was met by his sister Sidonia who, upon touching the robe, immediatelydied from the emotions engendered by thesacred object. The robe could not be removedfrom her grasp, so she was buried with it.An enormous cedar tree grew from her grave.Nino ordered to have the cedar chopped downand its wood be used as the wooden column tobuild a church in 379 in Tbilisi. Svetitskhovelimeans “Life giving column”.On a wall is a picture of “The Glory of Iberia”by Mikail Sabinin. It remains one of the most reveredGeorgian Orthodox icons to this day andhas been reproduced widely throughout Georgia.It shows Sidonia grasping Jesus’ robe withan angel lifting the column in heaven. Nino is inthe foreground with Apostle Andrew on her left:King Mirian III and his wife Queen Nana are tothe right and left.The cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site,is the second largest church building in Georgia.

2.4.Holy Trinity CathedralThe Holy Trinity Cathedral, commonly known asSameba, is the main cathedral of the GeorgianOrthodox Church located in Tbilisi. Constructedbetween 1995 and 2004, it is the third tallestEastern Orthodox Cathedral in the world andone of the largest religious buildings in the worldby total area. Sameba is a synthesis of traditionalstyles dominating the Georgian church architectureat various stages in history and has someByzantine undertones.The tour has enriched me with the knowledge ofchurch history in the Caucasus. I pray that Christianfaith will strengthen and achieve unity there.Amen.

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HOLY TRINITY CATHEDRAL