There are two types of prayers according to performance: private and common.
Common prayers in the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church are expressed by offering Divine liturgy, services and other rituals. Private prayer can be offered anywhere (Matt. 6:6, Luke 12:4), and common prayer is offered in a specially specified place: the church.
It is extremely important for a Christian to participate in common prayer in the church, thus he fully communicates with the spiritual life of the Christian community. The first Christian communities also offered their prayers together (Acts 2:42-44).
In the Armenian Church, worship is performed every day at different hours, of which there are already testimonies since the 5th century.
The Armenian Church has seven services:
Night service
Morning service
Sunrise service
Midday service (third, sixth, ninth hours)
Evening service
Peace service
Rest service
The services are performed according to the psalm of David. "I will bless you seven times a day for your righteous judgment" (Psalm 118:164).
At the beginning of each liturgy, it is mentioned which of the Persons of the Trinity is it addressed to, at what time does it take place, and what is the divine commemoration of it?
Some parts of the services can be changed according to the feast of the day, commemoration and voice.
Night Service
Dedicated to the praising of God the Father, and is performed at midnight. The following words of the Prophet David are taken as a basis for the time of execution: "At midnight I went out to give thanks to You for Your righteous judgments" (Ps. 62), because the day began with the night. It is believed that the service was performed at 3 am. At the time, the Night and Sunrise services were performed alternately, and starting from the 17th century, the Night service became daily.
Morning Service
Dedicated to the praising of God the Son. It is performed at dawn. Symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ and his appearance to the Myrrh-bearing Women.The morning service is performed daily.
Sunrise service
Dedicated to the praising of the Holy Spirit. It is performed at sunrise. Symbolizes the appearance to Christ to the disciples after the Resurrection. This service was separated from the Morning service by the Catholicos Ezr I of Parazhnakerts (630-641) in the 7th century. Originally it was not daily and was performed on sacred feasts and fast days. Now the service is mainly performed only during the Great Lent (except for Saturdays and Sundays), starting from the first Wednesday until the day before the resurrection of Lazarus, on Friday.
Midday Service -The Third Hour
The Third Hour (9:00 a.m.) is dedicated to the descent of the Holy Spirit. Symbolizes Eve’s original tasting the forbidden fruit and eventual liberation from condemnation through Jesus Christ.
Midday Service -The Sixth Hour
The Sixth Hour is performed at 12:00 and is dedicated to God the Father. Symbolizes Christ’s sufferings and Crucifixion.
Midday Service -The Ninth Hour
The Ninth Hour is performed at 15:00. It is dedicated to God the Son. Symbolizes Christ’s death.
Today, the three Hour services of Midday are generally performed during the Great Lent, on all days (except Saturday), on the four days of the Holy Week: Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday and Holy Thursday, as well as on the candellight services of the Holy Nativity and Easter.
The Evening Service
The Evening Service is performed before sunset. Is dedicated to God the Son. Symbolizes the taking of Christ down from the cross, the shrouding and burial. The Evening service is performed daily. Only once a year, on Holy Saturday, tThere is no evening service because it has the sacrament of Christ's burial. Instead of Great Saturday, it is performed on Good Friday during the Burial Service. During the Great Lent, the Evening Service is performed in the afternoon after the Midday Hour services.
Peace Service
The Peace Service is performed after sunset. Is dedicated to the Holy Spirit as well as God the Son. Symbolizes the placing of Christ in the tomb, Christ’s descent into hell and liberation of the righteous from torments. This service, which originally formed a single entity together with the Rest Service, was formed in the 7-8th centuries. The Peace service is not held on festive days but only during the Great Lent, from Monday to Friday.
Rest Service
The Rest Service is performed before retiring for sleep. Is dedicated to God the Father. Symbolizes the "so that the Only Son may keep us in this dark night with the Guardian Right." The Rest service was already a separate service in the 13th century, and in the 16th century it was included in the Book of Hours as a public order.
The Rest order is conducted during the divine feasts and on the eve of the holidays as a Lenten Vigil Service. In addition to the period of Great Lent, this order is also performed on the eve of major holidays: (Holy Nativity; The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Temple; Palm Sunday; Holy Easter; New Sunday; Pentecost; Transfiguration; Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God). In addition to the above-mentioned holidays, the Lenten Vigil Service is also performed on the days of catholicosic, episcopal ordination and consecration or the day before them, as well as the evening before the blessing of Holy Muron, following the liturgy. Today, the Rest service is mainly performed during the Great Lent, from Monday to Friday.
Although today all the above mentioned services are not fully implemented every day, but in ancient monasteries and deserts these services were performed every day in their proper time and sequence.
Nowdays, the Night and Morning services are performed every day in the morning and the Evening service is performed in the evening. During the Great Lent (excluding Saturdays and Sundays), the other services are performed in the following order: Night, Morning and Sunrise services are performed in the morning, and the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours of Midday services are performed in the afternoon.
Also the Evening service is performed in the afternoon during the Great Lent following the Midday services, and the Peace and Rest services are performed in the evening.