Celebration of the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin
On Sunday, June 10, the worldwide Armenian Church and nation celebrated the Feast of the Universal Church of Holy Etchmiadzin. The annual celebration commemorates the founding and establishment of the mother cathedral of the Armenian people in 301 A.D. The preceding day, the Armenian Church celebrated the Deliverance of St. Gregory the Illuminator from the Pit, which commemorates the patron saint’s liberation from the deep dungeon and the beginning of the conversion of the noble house of Armenia to Christianity.
In the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the feast was commemorated with the celebration of a special Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. His Grace Bishop Arshak Khatchatrian, Chancellor of the Mother See, celebrated the liturgy.
On Saturday, during Evening Services, the relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator were placed in the center of the Cathedral next to the Holy Altar of Descent, and were venerated by the faithful throughout the night, into the next morning and throughout the day of the feast.
