“ST. VATANANTZ IS THE SYMBOL OF FAITHFULNESS TO OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH AND TO OUR HOMELAND”

On Thursday, the Very Rev. Vaghinag Meloyan celebrated the Holy Liturgy of the feast. For Armenians, St. Vartanantz is the symbol of preserving their faith. It is the commemoration of the battle in 451 when the commander Vartan Mamigonian and his soldiers fought against the Sasanid Empire.

At the end of the Liturgy, the clergy, the seminarians and the people walked in procession to the Main Hall of the Catholicosate. In his message, His Holiness said, “The celebration of the martyrdom of St. Vartan and his companions each year should renew us in our Christian faith and lead us to work towards building responsive communities.” During the gathering, the seminarians sang spiritual hymns dedicated to the Vartanantz martyrs and ended with the hymn exalting the Catholicos.