Holy Mother of God of Etchmiadzin

Marian devotion of Echmiatsín (Armavir)

According to the tradition / legend, the origin of the great sanctuary of Etchmiadzin is linked to a vision of Saint Gregory the Illuminator: Christ, carrying a golden hammer, descends and strikes the ground to point out the place where the temple should be built; hence the name Etchmiadzin, “the place where the only begotten came down. "This vision marks, in the Armenian believer memory, the starting point of the spiritual center where the Holy Mother of God is particularly honored (Death Astvatsatsin).

Main data

Origin and history

According to the tradition / legend, the origin of the great sanctuary of Etchmiadzin is linked to a vision of Saint Gregory the Illuminator: Christ, carrying a golden hammer, descends and strikes the ground to point out the place where the temple should be built; hence the name Etchmiadzin, “the place where the only begotten came down. "This vision marks, in the Armenian believer memory, the starting point of the spiritual center where the Holy Mother of God is particularly honored (Death Astvatsatsin).

As for the documented history, la Echmiadzin Cathedral the Catholic primera of Christianism and the oldest Christian building in Armenia, with initial construction between the years 301‑303, attributed to Saint Gregory the Illuminator with King Tiridates III, shortly after Armenia officially adopted Christianity (early in the fourth century). The current monastic and cathedral complex includes structures of the centuries IV, V, VI, VII and XVIIand has been reformed and expanded over the centuries.

The Holy See Mother of Echmiadzin is today the Patriarchal headquarters of the Catholic of all Armenians, spiritual and administrative center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The complex (cathedral, neighbouring churches and Zvartnots site) was inscribed by UNESCO on the list of World Heritage in the year 2000. Within the enclosure are preserved important relics, such as the Spear of Passion, the hand of Saint Gregory and fragments that tradition attributes to the Ark of Noah, which increases its importance as a place of pilgrimage.

The image and the sanctuary

In the context of Eschmiadzin, the title Death Astvatsatsin ("Holy Mother of God") designates the Virgin Mary as she is venerated in Armenian tradition and in particular in the churches and chapels dedicated to her within the context of the complex and the city. The easily accessible documentation does not specify a unique Marian image, of main veneration and concrete features (type, material, precise iconography) linked exclusively under the title "Holy Mother of God of Etchmiadzin"; therefore, does not contain a detailed and unitary description of a single official image. The devotion is expressed in various Marian iconographic representations of Eastern tradition present in the cathedral and its dependencies.

The main sanctuary is the Catedral Madre de Santa Echmiadzin ♪ There's no one left ♪ Echmiadzin (Vagharshapt), Armavir Province, Armenia. Es un large monastic and cathedral complex which includes the cathedral, administrative buildings, seminary, museum and other historical churches (Santa Hripsime, Santa Gayane and Shoghakat). The cathedral is recognized as “capital espiritual” of the country, often compared to a "Vatican of Armenia," and houses the residence of the Catholic.

Although the cathedral is one of the oldest and most significant Christian centers in the world, its elevation with the Catholic title of minor basilica nor the formal definition as "national sanctuary" in the legal and Latin canonical sense; it is primarily about the Madre of the Armenian Apostolic Church and its ancestral worship to Christ and the Holy Mother of God.

Sponsorship and coronation

La Cathedral Madre de Echmiadzin is, in fact, spiritual patronage over the entire Armenian nation, being the seat of the Catholic Church and the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, there is no formal proclamation in the usual sources, in terms of Latin canon law, that declares the "Holy Mother of God of Eschmiadzin" as the official patron of a specific diocese or of the Armenian State according to the formulas of the Catholic Church; in the Armenian tradition, the reference is broader and covers the whole people and the Church.

As regards a canonical coronation (in the Catholic sense, by a pontifical decree or with the intervention of a pontifical delegate), does not contain a documented canonical coronation of a specific image under the title "Holy Mother of God of Etchmiadzin." The sources consulted on the cathedral, its history and its artistic heritage do not mention an act of Marian coronation of this kind.

Party and devotion

The Armenian Apostolic Church has a rich Marian calendar, with various parties dedicated to the Madre de Dios (Astvatsatsin)especially linked to the mysteries of the Nativity of Christ, the Presentation and the Sleep / Assumption, but the general sources on the Echmiadzin complex do not clearly point to a single specific main party date of a local advocation entitled "Holy Mother of God of Eschmiadzin." Consequently, is not with certainty a liturgical feast of its own and exclusive for this advocation, differentiated from the main Marian solemnities of the Armenian rite.

La city of Echmiadzin, considered together with Jerusalem as one of the most holy cities for the Armenians, receives a great inflow of pilgrims throughout the year, especially around the great liturgical celebrations and the patronal festivities of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The cathedral and its museum are a place of constant visit for faithful and tourists, and devotion is manifested in participation in the Divine Liturgy Armenia, the veneration of relics and silent prayer in the sacred enclosure. In Armenian spirituality, the Mother of God occupies a very prominent place in the liturgy, hymns and iconography, which is reflected in the daily cult of the cathedral.

Link to the Rosary

The documentation consulted does not contain a specific or historical relationship between the advocation of the Holy Mother of God of Etchmiadzin y el prayer of the Rosary in its Latin form; the Rosary is not a traditional practice of the Armenian Apostolic Rite, whose Marian piety is expressed rather through the Liturgy, hymns, litany and icons. Therefore, does not contain a particular and documented link between this advocation and the Rosary as such.

However, from a general Marian perspective, the contemplation of mysteries of Christ's life with Marywhich is the center of the Rosary, deeply harmonizes with the veneration to the Death Astvatsatsin in Eschmiadzin. The Christological character of Armenian devotion to the Mother of God - always linked to the mystery of the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection of his Son - finds a natural echo in the series of joyful, painful, glorious and luminous mysteries. Thus, where Catholic faithful pray the Rosary in spiritual communion with the Christians of Armenia, the Rosary becomes a way of joining the ancient faith of that people and of honoring, together with them, the Holy Mother of God who accompanies the Church from the Cathedral of Eschmiadzin.