Saint Gregory the Enlightener
Saint Gregory the Enlightener (born c. 257 AD in Valarshapat, Armenia; died c. 331 AD in Mount Manyea, Armenia) was the first Catholicos (head bishop) of the Armenian Church and the apostle who converted King Tiridates III and the Armenian nation to Christianity, making Armenia the first nation in history to adopt Christianity as its state religion (301 AD). He is co-patron of Armenia with the Virgin Mary. For his refusal to apostatize, he was imprisoned for thirteen years in a pit at Khor Virap, where he was miraculously kept alive. His feast day in the Western Church is September 30; in the Armenian Church, the third Sunday of October.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Gregory the Enlightener
| Saint Gregory the Enlightener | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 30 |
| Profession | Bishop; missionary; Catholicos; founder of the Armenian Church; apostle of Armenia |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Armenian Apostolic Church; Armenian Catholic Church; Catholicos of Armenia (first holder of the office); apostle and enlightener of Armenia |
| Patronage | Armenia; the Armenian people; Armenian diaspora; the Armenian Church; those imprisoned for the faith; those converted by an example of holiness |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments (Eastern); model of Cathedral of Etchmiadzin; pit or dungeon (Khor Virap); cross; Armenia |
| Birthplace | Valarshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia |
| Death Place | Mount Manyea (Sepuh Mountain), Armenia |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died as a hermit on Mount Manyea (also called Mount Sepuh) c. 331 AD, after years of contemplative life following his establishment of the Armenian Church |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat), Armenia — the mother church he founded; seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians; UNESCO World Heritage Site; the spiritual heart of Armenian Christianity |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Roman Calendar, September 30) |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; September 30 in traditional Roman Martyrology |
Biography
Gregory was born around 257 AD, the son of a Parthian nobleman named Anak who assassinated the Armenian King Khosrov I at the instigation of the Persian Sassanid dynasty. After the assassination, the Armenian nobles killed all of Anak's family except the infant Gregory, who was taken to Caesarea in Cappadocia and raised as a Christian by a Christian nurse.
As a young man Gregory returned to Armenia and entered the service of the Armenian prince Tiridates (later King Tiridates III), concealing his identity. When Tiridates discovered Gregory was the son of his father's murderer, he had him arrested and imprisoned — casting him into a deep pit (khor virap in Armenian) at Artashat. Gregory refused to renounce Christianity. He remained in the pit for thirteen years (c. 288–301 AD), miraculously kept alive by a Christian widow who secretly lowered bread to him.
In 301 AD, Tiridates was struck with madness. His sister received a dream revelation that only Gregory, the prisoner in the pit, could heal him. Gregory was brought out — still alive after thirteen years — and healed the king through prayer. Tiridates was immediately converted. He was baptized, and issued an edict making Christianity the official religion of Armenia — the first nation in history to take this step.
Gregory traveled to Caesarea and was consecrated bishop by Leontius of Caesarea, then returned to Armenia to oversee the conversion of the entire nation. He established the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin at the site of a vision (Etchmiadzin = the Only Begotten descended here), which became the mother church of the Armenian nation.
He also personally baptized the virgins Hripsime, Gaiane, and their companions who had fled from Rome and were martyred by Tiridates before his conversion (these virgins' intercession is considered a factor in his conversion and madness). He ordained his son Aristakes (and later his grandson Vrtanes) as his successors, establishing the hereditary episcopate of the early Armenian Church.
In his final years Gregory withdrew to live as a hermit on Mount Manyea (Mount Sepuh), where he died around 331 AD. His relics are distributed among many Armenian churches worldwide.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Valarshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia
Death location: Mount Manyea (Sepuh Mountain), Armenia
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location: He was consecrated bishop here by Leontius, Bishop of Caesarea, around 301 AD; this established the Armenian Church's connection to Cappadocian Christianity; Gregory then returned to Armenia to lead the nationwide conversion (Caesarea, Cappadocia (modern Kayseri, Turkey))
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Gregory the Enlightener have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, Etchmiadzin, Armenia — UNESCO World Heritage Site; seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians; mother church of the Armenian nation; founded by Gregory.
- Khor Virap Monastery, Artashat, Armenia — site of his 13-year imprisonment; one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in Armenia; spectacular views of Mount Ararat.
Feast day
September 30 (Western); third Sunday of October (Armenian)
Veneration
Saint Gregory the Enlightener is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church on September 30 as an Optional Memorial. He is one of the most revered saints in Armenian Christianity and throughout the Eastern Churches.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.