index

~ Looys Kreesdosee ~

An Ecumenical Website for Armenian Orthodox & Catholic Christians
Presenting the ~Light of Christ~ maintained by the Holy Church of Armenia

by the hand of Hovnatan Hovnatanian 18h cent. -from the walls of Holy Etchmiadzin

Holy Icons ~Surpabadger~ of those who first
brought Christ�s Light to the Armenian people.

by the hand of Hovnatan Hovnatanian 18th cent. -from the walls of Holy Etchmiadzin

St. Gregory: The Illuminator
of Armenia ~AD 301~
The first Christian Nation

St. Thaddaeus the Apostle
One of the "1st Illuminators" of Armenia: Martyred c. AD 50

St. Bartholomew the Apostle One of the "1st Illuminators" of Armenia: Martyred c. AD 68

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat
in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned." -S. Madteos 4:16

         Armenians have a recorded history of over three thousand years and are the bearers of an ethnic and cultural patrimony which distinguishes them as one of the most ancient, continuous people in the world. Armenia's majestic Mount Ararat is the place where Noah's Ark rested, making our historic homeland in eastern Anatolia a 'cradle of civilization.' But more important than these, is the fact that after two centuries of intense persecution upon those who adhered to the faith brought there by the Holy Apostles Thaddaeus and Bartholomew, Armenia became the first nation on earth to "turn to God from idols, to serve the living and true God." This definitive conversion of the nation, in A.D. 301, was accomplished through the preaching and suffering of Saint Gregory the Illuminator who established the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in Armenia.
         Christ's Apostles, Thaddaeus and Bartholomew passed on their Apostolic Authority to their successors, the Bishops of the Armenian Church, and it's Catholicos-Partriarch. Often misconceived as an isolated entity, the Armenian Church actually maintains communion with the other Oriental Orthodox Churches and remains an integral part of the ecumenical one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
         As the early Church Father, St. Cyprian of Carthage, once said, "No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother." St. Paul also wrote, the Church of the living God is the �pillar and foundation of truth� (1 Tm 3:15). The Apostles Saints Thaddaeus and Bartholomew evangelized our region, bringing with them the one Church and Faith of Jesus Christ (cf. Eph. 4:4-6). Saint Gregory our Holy Illuminator, in his "Teaching," proclaimed that same Holy Faith. Saints Sahag and Mesrob translated the writings of the Holy Church Fathers to ensure the propagation of that same Holy Orthodox Faith. Today we must re-proclaim that "once for all delieverd faith" to ensure we remain true, ultimately to Jesus Christ and His truth. This web-site is meant, in some small way, to assist with that mission.

As for us, we shall glorify Him who was before the ages, worshipping the Holy Trinity and the one Godhead, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
-The Divine Liturgy of the Church of Armenia

The following pages of this site are for your perusal:

I. Looys Kreesdosee: The Orthodox Church of Armenia (Homepage)
        The Faith of the Apostolic Orthodox Church of Armenia
        The Liturgical Tradition of the Church of Armenia
        The Soorp Stepanos Deacon's Page

II. The Orthodox Evangelization Mission
        The Orthodox Faith and Tradition
        The Holy Scriptures in the Orthodox Church
        Ecumenical Links on the Orthodox and Catholic Church

The webservant, Sub-Deacon Lazarus Der-Ghazarian, serves at
St. John the Baptist Armenian Orthodox Church of Southfield, Michigan.
Thank you for visiting this website.

Khatchkar:
Traditional Armenian Stone Carving of the
Holy Cross

If you found this website helpful:

You are visitor:

This is an unofficial web-site. The views expressed herein are those of the authors. To the best of my knowledge they are in full accord
with authentic Orthodox Holy Tradition. I invite you to contact me with any questions or concerns (St. Mt. 18:15-17).

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws