BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Australia/Sydney
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+1100
TZOFFSETTO:+1000
TZNAME:AEST
DTSTART:20260404T160000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+1000
TZOFFSETTO:+1100
TZNAME:AEDT
DTSTART:20261003T160000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+1100
TZOFFSETTO:+1000
TZNAME:AEST
DTSTART:20270403T160000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+1000
TZOFFSETTO:+1100
TZNAME:AEDT
DTSTART:20271002T160000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+1100
TZOFFSETTO:+1000
TZNAME:AEST
DTSTART:20280401T160000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+1000
TZOFFSETTO:+1100
TZNAME:AEDT
DTSTART:20280930T160000
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270102
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211009T063959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T090833Z
UID:28953-1798761600-1798847999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:New Years Day
DESCRIPTION:  \n \n  \nThe New Year (Gaghant\, Amanor or Navasart) has generally been a feast of joy and happiness for the Armenian people. It is customary to exchange gifts with family members and close friends and to bring delight to children with gifts. It is also customary to set the family table to the extent of their means with fruits and good things to eat\, thereby making the abundance and joy spread throughout the year. \nPresently all Christian churches celebrate the New Year on January 1. The word “January” or “Hunvar” means “birth”. Being born in January\, Christ saved mankind from eternal death and led to the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s why January became the year’s beginning. January 1 is the first day of the first month of the year of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. On January 1 a Divine Liturgy is celebrated as well as the Thanksgiving Prayer to welcome in the New Year with the Blessing of Pomegranates. At the end of the service\, each family takes home a blessed pomegranate. \nIn Christianity the pomegranate symbolises the diversity of God’s grace\, the Church.  Just as the seeds of the pomegranate are separated by thin membranes yet held tightly together\, in the same way the Christian Church holds all Christians around the world together in Christ’s love; though they are separate\, they are not divided. Thus the pomegranate shows unity in diversity. \nThe pomegranate’s crown represents Jesus’ crown and His sovereignty over the entire world. The red colour symbolises His salvific Blood that was shed for all. The popular belief is that each one contains 365 seeds corresponding to the number of days in a year\, symbolising new life in Christ and the New Year.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/new-years-day-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/New-Years.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270106
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211012T041857Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T093033Z
UID:28962-1799107200-1799193599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Jrakalouyts (Jrakalooyts): Christmas Eve Candlemas
DESCRIPTION:  \nEve of Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ\, Candlelight (Lucernarium) Divine Liturgy\nAccording to the Armenian Church\, the day changes at 5:00 pm and thus the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ starts on the eve\, on the evening of January 5 and continues after midnight on January 6. \nOn the eve of the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ\, the special Jrakalouyts service takes place. \nDuring the solemn Vesper Vigil\, the young choristers or deacons begin to read or chant the Old Testament readings from Genesis\, Exodus and the Prophets prior to the proclamation of the Lord’s birth and manifestation during the Divine Liturgy. \nThe final solemn reading is the prophecy of Daniel. By candlelight\, one person reads the narrative of the prophecy and three others chant the song of the three holy children— Shadrach (Setrak)\, Meshach (Misak) and Abednego (Apetnakov). \n“Blessed are You\, Lord\, God of our fathers. Praised and glorified is Your name forever\, For You are fair in everything that You have done to us\, and all of Your deeds are true.” \nIn the Armenian Church we read this story on the eve of Christmas and Easter as an anticipation of Christ’s resurrection from the dead and the presence of the living Son of God in our midst assuring us of God’s healing and life restoring presence for all eternity. Just as the faithful boys are not burned by the heat of the furnace\, those who know and trust Christ will be saved from the flames of hell. \nAfter this\, the altar curtain\, which had been drawn in front of the altar\, is opened and the Divine Liturgy begins. \nThe Divine Liturgy (the lighting of the lamps service) is celebrated in honour of the manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God (“manifestation of God” is the literal meaning of the word “theophany”). \nIt is custom for the faithful to hold lit candles or lanterns during this service. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy\, the assembled faithful take the lit candles and lanterns home which symbolises the radiance of the spiritual light in our lives and hearts that the Saviour of the world and the Prince of Peace has given us through His humanity and His Divine direction. \nAll of our Christmas hymns exuberantly celebrate Jesus as the Light. He is the holy Light that God has shined on Earth. He is the radiant Saviour born to Mary the Mother of God. He is the heavenly lamp that illuminates the path of our lives\, allowing us to recognise our blessed purpose in life; and giving us the privilege of seeing God and knowing God. \n“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness\, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/jrakalooyts-christmas-eve-candlemas-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Eve-of-Nativity.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270106
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270107
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211010T064638Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T093421Z
UID:28974-1799193600-1799279999@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Holy Nativity & Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ (Dznoont/Christmas)
DESCRIPTION:  \nEach year\, on January 6\, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ\, which is the commemoration of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ. God was incarnated and appeared to the people. During the Baptism of Jesus\, God the Father said\, “This is my Son\, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17) and the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove\, so God appeared to the people for the second time. So\, both Theophanies revealed by means of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ are celebrated in the Armenian Church jointly on January 6. The feast starts on the eve\, in the evening of January 5\, and is continued after midnight. On the eve\, a solemn Candlelight Divine Liturgy is celebrated and on January 6 a solemn Divine Liturgy is celebrated. \nAt the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy\, the mystery of our Lord’s Baptism in the River Jordan\, at the commencement of His ministry\, is remembered in the ceremony of the Churorhnek\, or the “Blessing of Water.” \nThe Celebrant priest pours three drops of Holy Muron into water\, signifying the Holy Trinity. The Holy Muron is poured into the water from a dove shaped container\, symbolising the appearance at the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father proclaiming to all that Jesus is His Son. \nThe cross\, which has been submerged in the water\, is then taken out. Traditionally a layperson is selected for this special privilege of holding the Cross. He is known as the “Godfather of the Cross” as he holds the Cross upright after it is taken out of the blessed water and welcomes the faithful to kiss the Cross as they receive the blessed water. \nAccording to tradition\, people take some blessed water with them to use it as a medicinal remedy for the sick. After the Blessing of the Waters Service the priests visit the houses of the faithful to proclaim the Christmastide Good News of the Birth of Jesus Christ. \n\n\n\nThe Gospel describes the birth of Jesus as follows: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. … And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea\, to Bethlehem the town of David\, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary\, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there\, the time came for the baby to be born\, and she gave birth to her firstborn\, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger\, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Lk 2:1-7) \nThe Son of God was born in poverty\, in a manger. The witnesses of His Birth were the shepherds living out in the fields nearby\, whom the angels had appeared and brought the good news of the Birth of the Savior singing: “Glory to God in the highest\, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Lk 2:18) \nSoon afterwards some men who studied the stars came from the East and worshipped Baby Christ\, presented him with gifts and returned to their countries. \nDuring Holy Mass the faithful greet each other\, conveying the great tiding: “Kristos Dznav yev Haydnetsav”  (Christ is Born and Revealed) and receive the reply “Tsezi Mezi Medz Avedis” (To you and us the Good News).
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-holy-nativity-theophany-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-dznoont-christmas-2-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Major Feasts (Daghavarner)
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/baptism-of-christ2-armenia-e1634859034967.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270114
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211015T062954Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T093907Z
UID:28987-1799798400-1799884799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Naming of Our Lord Jesus Christ
DESCRIPTION:  \nEach year\, on January 13\, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of Naming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As Evangelist St. Luke writes in his Gospel\, according to the  Jewish tradition “On the eighth day\, when it was time to circumcise him\, he was named Jesus\, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.” (Lk 2:21). “Jesus” is a Hebrew word meaning “Saviour”.  As written in the Gospel according to Luke\, when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to give her the good tidings of the birth of the Son of the Most High\, he said that Mary would name the baby “Jesus”. “You will be with child and give birth to a son\, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Lk 1:31). \nParallel to the name “Jesus” the name “Christ” is given to the Saviour\, which is a Greek word meaning “Consecrated” and corresponding to the Hebrew word “Messiah”. \nOn the Feast of Naming of Our Lord Jesus Christ\, a Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all Armenian Churches. On the eve of the feast\, following the evening service a special service is conducted.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-naming-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/circumcision-of-jesus-e1634716665793.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270115
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211015T063537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T094342Z
UID:29000-1799884800-1799971199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Birth of St John the Forerunner (Baptist)
DESCRIPTION:  \nThe Armenian Apostolic Church\, observes the Feast of the Birth of St John the Baptist\, the Forerunner\, in January. The birth of St John is described in detail in the Gospel according to St Luke (1:5-25). He is known as the ‘forerunner’ because it was he who would herald the news of the Saviour through the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. \nOne day Zechariah\, father of St John the Baptist\, was doing his work as a priest in the Temple and was burning incense on the altar. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and said that God had heard his prayer and his wife would bear him a son. Zechariah had to name him John. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel as he was and old man\, and his wife was old too. As he hadn’t believed the angel\, he became unable to speak and remained silent until the birth of John. \nSt John the Baptist\, who would baptise the Saviour\, had been aware of and rejoiced at the knowledge of the birth of Jesus\, even before his birth. According to the Evangelist\, when St Mary\, Holy Mother of God\, visited Elizabeth\, mother of St John the Baptist\, the latter\, being filled with the Holy Spirit cried out\, “Why should this great thing happen to me\, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heard your greeting\, the baby within me jumped with gladness” (Lk 1:43-44). \nThe continuation of the words of Elizabeth are the message of this feast addressed to all Christians throughout the world\, “How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true!” (Lk 1:45). \nOn this occasion\, those bearing Armenian names rooted in ‘St John the Baptist\, the Forerunner’\,  Hovhannes (John)\, Meguerditch (Baptist) and Garabed (Forerunner) celebrate their name day.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-birth-of-st-john-the-forerunner-baptist-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/st-john-the-baptist-birth.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270119
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20250519T111808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T115042Z
UID:29080-1800230400-1800316799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Fast of the Catechumens or Arachavorats Bahk
DESCRIPTION:The Fast of Catechumens (or Arachavorats Bahk) is peculiar only to the Armenian Church. It begins three weeks before Great Lent. In ancient times people could eat only bread and salt during the Fast of Catechumens. On those days it was not allowed to celebrate the Divine Liturgy either. \n\nThe meaning of the Fast of Catechumens is the purification of the five human senses from pagan impurity. In the ancient Church there was a custom to fast during five days before baptism. St Gregory the Illuminator ordered King Tiridates and others to fast for five days before baptism in order to get freed of evil. This is the reason that the Fast of Catechumens is also called “Fast of Salvation” from evil. \nAccording to tradition\, the fasting of Catechumens was initiated by St. Gregory the illuminator in memory of the above mentioned practice. \nThere are two explanations regarding the name of this feast.\nIt is called the fast of Catechumens:\n1. As the precursor of the Great Lent\, and\n2. As the first Armenian fast. \nOn the fifth day of the fasting of Catechumens\, on Friday\, the remembrance day of the Prophet Jonah is celebrated\, but it is celebrated not as the feast of the Prophet Jonah\, but as the memory of an example of great repentance and abstinence which Jonah urged. At times\, wrongly\, the fasting of Catechumens was called the fast of St. Sarkis\, because the Armenian Church celebrates the feast of St. Sarkis on the Saturday following the fast. During the Middle Ages\, the Byzantine and the Georgian Churches blamed the Armenian Church for the fasting of Catechumens\, relating it to St. Sarkis\, to whom they ascribed sorcery. According to the testimonies of Armenian medieval writers\, Greek and Latin Churches also had the fasting of Catechumens in ancient times. \n\nOf all the days in the Armenian liturgical year\, only the days of the Arachavorats Bahk have no scripture readings appointed to be read during the daily services. The word “Arachavorats” comes from two root words: arach (before) and avoor (day). So the literal translation would be something like “preceding days.” In English it is best referred to as the “Preliminary Fast\,” in other words\, the fast that precedes the Great Fast\, Great Lent.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/arachavorats-bahk-or-the-preliminary-fast-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/St-Gregory-King-Trdat.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270122
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270123
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211015T110815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T120934Z
UID:29097-1800576000-1800662399@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Prophet Jonah
DESCRIPTION:  \n\nOn the fifth day (Friday) of the Fasting of Catechumens\, the Armenian Church commemorates the remembrance day of the Prophet Jonah. However it is celebrated not as the feast of the Prophet Jonah\, but as the memory of an example of great repentance and abstinence\, which Jonah urged. \nThe Fast of the Catechumens is a penitential period\, focusing on spiritual purification\, mirroring the catechumens’ preparation for baptism. Commemorations during this fast are intentionally somber\, introspective\, and penitential\, not celebratory. \nJonah’s story is remembered not to glorify him as a prophet\, but to emphasise the call to repentance—both Jonah’s own reluctance and the repentance of the Ninevites. \nThe prophet Jonah is one of the minor prophets of the Holy Bible. Jonah is the central figure of the Book of Jonah\, which details his reluctance in delivering God’s judgement on the city of Nineveh\, and then his subsequent\, albeit begrudged\, return to the divine mission after he is swallowed by a large sea creature. Jonah remained inside the fish for three days and three nights. It was only after Jonah’s prayer and redemption did the Lord allow the fish to free Jonah. This time he obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh. On the first day\, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast\, and all of them\, from the greatest to the least\, even the king\, put on sackcloth. When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways\, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. \n\nLater Christ brings the example of the Prophet Jonah to the Pharisees asking for a divine sign: \nThen some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him\, “Teacher\, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them\, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign\, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster\, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.”  \n-Matthew 12:38-40 \n  \n  \n\n  \n\n  \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-prophet-jonah-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Jonah-e1634716461704.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270124
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211015T065708Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T122126Z
UID:29119-1800662400-1800748799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain\, Patron of Love and Youth\, his son Mardiros and his 14 Soldiers Companions
DESCRIPTION:  \nST SARKIS THE WARRIOR AND HIS SON ST MARDIROS (MARTYROS)\nThe feast day honoring St. Sarkis is movable.  It occurs between January 11th and February 15th.  Each year it follows the five day Fast of Catechumens. \nSarkis was a Greek from the area of Cappadocia on the Anatolian plain.  He was a proud\, brave Christian and served as a Roman army officer during the reign of Emperor Constantine (roughly 337 A.D.).  Sarkis’ valour\, strength and bravery earned him the rank of general. \nSarkis used his position of power for spiritual growth\, going from town to town purging the land of pagan idols\, teaching the Gospel\, and building churches where pagan temples once stood.  Sarkis had a good model in the piety of the Emperor Constantine. \nWhen Constantine died\, Christianity throughout the region came under attack from the new Roman leader\, Julian the Apostate.  Under his leadership\, pagans set about destroying churches and persecuting Christians. \nSeeing this\, Sarkis prayed.  Jesus appeared to him and said\, “It is time for you to leave your country and your clan\, as did Abraham the Patriarch\, and go to a country which I will show you.  There you will receive the crown of righteousness prepared for you.” \nSarkis left behind his noble title and power and headed with his son\, Mardiros\, to Armenia\, where they were welcomed by King Diran\, grandson of King Drtad (Tiridates). \nWhile Sarkis and Mardiros were in Armenia\, the Emperor Julian\, attempting to take over the known world\, continued to move eastward toward Antioch in Syria. Whenever the Roman army came upon Christians\, they were instantly killed.  Many people fled the invading armies. King Diran urged Sarkis to escape and seek refuge among the Persians. \nWhen Sarkis and his son arrived in Persia\, King Shapur\, hearing of his bravery\, appointed him a commander of the Persian military. As he continued to be victorious in battle\, Sarkis also continued to give the credit to God. \nWhen Julian’s troops started raiding lands near King Shapur’s kingdom\, Sarkis was sent to defend the territory.  Outnumbered by the Greek and Roman forces\, Sarkis’ troops were frightened. He told them that if they believed in the Creator of heaven and earth\, their hearts would never be shaken. Many of his soldiers were baptised by the priests travelling with the army\, and they succeeded in fending off a Roman attack. \nSome of Sarkis’ soldiers\, who had not been baptised\, went to King Shapur and told him that Sarkis was rebelling against the Persian ruler by preaching belief in Jesus. The king called Sarkis back to the palace\, where he\, his son\, and the newly-baptised soldiers were expected to attend a feast honouring the pagan gods. \nAt the temple\, the king asked Sarkis to offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods.  Sarkis refused\, saying he would only worship the one true God.  The king began to criticise Sarkis and his faith.  But Sarkis could not tolerate such talk\, so he spat in the king’s face and knocked down the temple idols.  The king and his followers were enraged by Sarkis’ actions\, so they killed his son\, Mardiros\, before his eyes. \nThe king then ordered Sarkis imprisoned.  In prison\, Sarkis was strengthened by his relationship with the Lord.  King Shapur heard of this and ordered Sarkis’ execution. \nAt his execution\, Sarkis began to pray.  An angel descended from heaven and told him\, “Be strong.  Do not fear the killers of your body; for the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven is open for you.”  Upon seeing the angel and understanding the power of everlasting life\, many of the pagans who had gathered for the execution became Christians. \nSarkis made one last passionate plea for people to accept Jesus Christ and then was killed. \nHis loyal Christian soldiers retrieved Sarkis’ body and wrapped it in clean linen with the intention of burying his body honorably.  When King Shapur heard of this reverence\, he ordered the soldiers killed as well. Eventually\, Christians found Sarkis’ body and it was sent to Assyria\, where it remained until the 5th Century when Mesrob Mashdots received his remains and moved them to Armenia. \nSoorp Sarkis is also known as the Armenian Valentine’s Day. \nIn one battle Sarkis with his 40 soldiers had defeated an enemy of 10\,000. St. Sarkis just like St. Valentine was a miracle worker. \nAccording to the legend\, after the great feast to celebrate their victory\, all forty soldiers and St Sarkis himself were tricked and intoxicated by a “Persian ruler” who then asked forty damsels to thrust sharp daggers into the hearts of sleeping young men and kill them. One of the damsels\, enchanted by the beauty of Sarkis\, disobeys the order and instead of killing Sarkis\, she kisses him. Sarkis awakens\, and distraught by what he sees\, he jumps on his white horse\, not forgetting the damsel\, and dashes away while a powerful storm rages outside. \nSince then\, a rider on a white horse has become the symbol of love in Armenian tradition. \nTradition in the Armenian culture follows that on the evening before the holiday\, unmarried girls and boys pray to the saint\, asking for his help in their love affairs. Before they go to bed they eat a special salty biscuit with no other food or drink\, so that in their dreams they will see their destined lover or their future spouse giving them water. \nPart reference: Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-st-sarkis-the-captain-patron-of-love-and-youth-his-son-mardiros-and-his-14-soldiers-companions-3-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sarkis-e1634716005305.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270130
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270131
DTSTAMP:20260419T072752
CREATED:20211023T055839Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250519T123413Z
UID:29132-1801267200-1801353599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of the Pontiff St Sahak Partev (Bartev)
DESCRIPTION:  \nSt. Sahak is one of the most well known figures in Armenian history. As Catholicos\, he supported the work of Mesrob Mashdots in the creation of the Armenian alphabet and the translation of the Bible into Armenian. A scholar and theologian himself\, he is counted among the Holy Translators. The trio of King Vramshapuh\, Catholicos Sahak\, and Mesrob Mashdots together oversaw the flurry of translation into Armenian and an emergent new Armenian-language literature following the invention of the alphabet in 405 A.D. Churches are often named “Sts. Sahak and Mesrob” in acknowledgment of the crucial work these two men did together. This coming Saturday\, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates this beloved Armenian saint. \nYet St. Sahak also presided over a tumultuous period in Armenian history. The invention of the alphabet itself emerged from the need to hold the two halves of Armenia together. At the time of St. Sahak’s birth in 354 A.D.\, Armenia was already used to its status as the crossroads and borderland between the Persian and Roman empires. As George Bournoutian describes\, in 64 A.D.\, “Rome accepted the compromise of co-suzerainty” (55)\, meaning that the Armenian dynasty known as the Arshakuni or Arsacid would come from the royal Parthian dynasty\, “while their authority would be bestowed in Rome.” Through some troubled periods\, this arrangement lasted for nearly two centuries\, until 224 A.D. when the Persian Parthians were overthrown\, and the new Sasanian Persian empire emerged. The new Sasanian Empire tried to impose a more direct rule over Armenia. It is in this context that the conversion of Armenia to Christianity occurred\, as Armenians tried to balance between Rome and a newly aggressive Persian empire. However\, after the adoption of Christianity\, in 387 A.D.\, Emperor Theodosius and Shapur III partitioned Armenia between them. \nSuch was the situation when St. Sahak became the Catholicos. In addition to the political partition\, Armenian Christianity had competing influences: on the one hand\, Caesarea\, where the Catholicoses of Armenia had traditionally gone to installed as chief bishop of the Armenian Church\, was a stronghold of Greek Christianity\, while a Syriac strain of Christianity coming from south and favored by the Persians was also influential for the Armenian Church. More pointedly\, the theological controversies raging in the emerging Byzantine Empire created confusion. First there was the Arian debate\, with prominent Arians remaining through Christendom despite the condemnation of Arius at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. Then\, in the later years of Sahak’s tenure as Catholicos\, the Nestorian controversy broke out.  St. Sahak\, then\, inherited the throne of the Catholicos in a precarious and confusing time. As Bournoutian puts it\, “Both Catholicos Sahak and [King] Vramshapuh realised that in order to retain any measure of ecclesiastical and political control over a partitioned nation\, the unifying factor of the Armenian language would be crucial” (71). With this in mind\, Sahak supported St. Mesrob’s work of inventing an alphabet\, translating the Bible\, and creating a truly Armenian literature. \nCreating the Armenian alphabet and launching an Armenian literature and truly Armenian liturgical tradition helped to hold both the Armenian Church and the Armenian people together. St. Sahak oversaw and participated in this work. As a theologian in his own right\, he is sometimes credited with introducing the Armenian Octoechos or tsyan system into Armenian music and there are sharagans attributed to him. Yet St. Sahak’s life and tenure as Catholicos were tumultuous. He was the last Catholicos directly descended from St. Gregory the Illuminator. This lineage and his generally pro-Roman/Byzantine orientation led him into trouble during this period when Persian influence was still strong\, especially among some members of the nobility\, known as the nakharar. In fact\, he was deposed from his position as Catholicos in 428 A.D.\, with several Syrian and pro-Syrian Catholicoses serving before he was allowed to return from exile in 432\, nonetheless having a much-reduced authority. Dr. Gabrielle Winkler\, in a detailed study\, charts these events\, in what she calls\, “An Obscure Chapter in Armenian Church History.” \nMuch of this “obscure chapter” is related to theological arguments taking place beyond the borders of Armenia. In addition to the political balancing act between Persia and Constantinople\, the ecclesiastical and theological controversies raging throughout Christendom were part of what led to St. Sahak’s ouster. Early Armenian Christianity was heavily influenced by Syriac Christianity\, with its great sees of Antioch and Edessa. However\, these sees became embattled around this time\, when Nestorius\, who was educated in Antioch by the great exegete Theodore of Mopsuestia\, became Patriarch of Constantinople in 428 A.D.—the same year St. Sahak was deposed as Catholicos! We have detailed the controversy surrounding Nestorius’ teachings before\, discussing his theological rivalry with St. Cyril of Alexandria. Ultimately\, Alexandrian orthodoxy won the day in Armenia. At the time of St. Sahak\, however\, this outcome was not a given. Winkler explains the “obscure chapter in Armenian history” by appealing to these debates\, the teachings of Nestorius\, and the status of Theodore of Mopsuestia. Though he was eventually condemned in the West because of his association with his student Nestorius\, Theodore of Mopsuestia was renowned for his commentaries on the Bible and his method of interpretation. His writings were influential in Armenia\, and Armenians sought regarding the controversy. \nWe know this because of one of the most important and remarkable sources of the Armenian Christian tradition: the Book of Letters. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity\, the book is a collection of “letters between the leaders (primarily Catholici) of the Armenian Church and various ecclesiastical figures throughout the Caucasus and the Christian world.” Though a crucial source\, the manuscript tradition of this book has not been fully studied\, and it is clear that some of the letters cannot actually have been written by the people to which they are attributed. Nonetheless\, many of these letters should be considered authentic. More importantly\, they represent a distillation of Armenian theological thinking\, especially with regards to “Christological questions\,” as the letters “elucidate the Miaphysite position of the Armenian Church\, as it is contrasted with Nestorian and Chalcedonian Christology.” Some of the letters deal precisely with the “obscure chapter” Winkler describes and indeed\, the Book of Letters is one of her major sources for unraveling this period. Four letters\, including the famous Tome of Proclus (also known in Western sources as the Tome to the Armenians)\, are either written to or by St. Sahak. \nThe letters to and from St. Sahak reveal an erudite theologian as well as a concerned shepherd. They also reveal\, as Winkler shows\, the emerging position of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Overall\, the Book of Letters is a treasure-trove of a source for understanding the specifics of the Armenian theological position\, especially regarding Christology. As the Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity states\, “it is probably the most important source for the development of Armenian Christianity from its beginnings as a Christian within the Zoroastrian Persian Empire\, through its survival in the upheavals of the 7thcentury and its break with Chalcedonian churches\, up to the renewed attempts of Constantinople to achieve ecclesiastical union and the crusading-era contacts with Rome.” The published versions of the Book of Letters include correspondence ranging from the 5th to the 13th centuries\, spanning a huge amount of time and covering the consolidation of the Armenian theological position. This is a crucial source for understanding Armenian Christianity—and some of the earliest letters found in the volume are attributed to St. Sahak Partev. \nRef: vemkar.us
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-the-pontiff-st-sahak-partev-bartev-2-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Sahag-Partev.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR