Diocese of Aragatsotn

Արագածոտնի թեմ
Location
CountryArmenia
Statistics
Population
- Total
(as of 2011)
~120,000
Information
DenominationArmenian Apostolic Church
RiteArmenian Rite
Established1996
CathedralSaint Mesrop Mashtots Church, Oshakan
Current leadership
PatriarchKarekin II
PrimateBishop Mkrtich Proshyan
Website
Official website

Diocese of Aragatsotn (Armenian: Արագածոտնի թեմ Aragatsotni t'em), is a diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church covering the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia. The name is derived from the historic Aragatsotn canton of Ayrarat province of Kingdom of Armenia.

The diocese was officially founded on May 30, 1996, by Catholicos Karekin I. The diocesan headquarters are located in the provincial capital Ashtarak, while the cathedral of the diocese is the Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church in the nearby village of Oshakan.[1] Bishop Mkrtich Broshyan is currently the primate of the diocese, serving since 2009.[2]

History

The prelacy building located near the Church of Saint Marianeh in Ashtarak

Historically, the territory of modern-day Aragatsotn has been regulated by the Araratian Pontifical Diocese and the Diocese of Shirak. The towns of Ashtarak and Aparan along with their villages were under the jurisdiction of the Araratian diocese, while the town of Talin and the surrounding areas were under the jurisdiction of Shirak diocese.

After the independence from the Soviet Union, Armenia has been divided into provinces based on the territorial administration reform of 1995. During the following year, the Diocese of Aragatsotn was officially founded upon a kontakion issued by Catholicos Karekin I on May 30, 1996. The Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church in Oshakan has served as the seat of the diocese since the formation of the diocese.

Currently, the Aragatsotn diocese has 29 churches and 9 chapels under its jurisdiction.

Primates

  • Bishop Navasard Kchoyan 1996-1999
  • Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan 1999-2002
  • Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan 2002-2003
  • Archimendrite Torgom Tonikyan 2003-2007
  • Archimendrite Grigor Khachatryan 2007-2009
  • Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan 2009-present

Active churches

Here is the list of churches, monasteries and chapels functioning under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Aragatsotn, along with their location and year of consecration:

Churches

Monasteries

Chapels

  • Tukh Manuk Shrine, Oshakan, 12-13th centuries
  • Tukh Manuk Chapel, Mastara, 13th century
  • Saint Gregory Chapel, Oshakan, 13th century
  • Saint Thaddeus Chapel, Oshakan, 13th century
  • Kiraknamut Chapel, Antarut, 13th century
  • Saint Gregory Chapel, Mastara, 17th century
  • Surp Narek Chapel, Chknagh, 1830s, rebuilt in 2003
  • Chapel of Virgin Sandukht, Talin, 19th century
  • Surp Minas Chapel, Mastara, 19th century
  • Chapel of Saints Mary and Elisabeth, Arayi, 2002
  • Holy Mother of God Chapel, Yernjatap, 2007
  • Holy Mother of God Chapel, Agarak, 2008
  • Holy Trinity Altar of Hope, Aparan, 2012

Inactive/ruined churches and monasteries

This is an incomplete list of inactive or ruined churches and monasteries in the territory regulated by the Diocese of Aragatsotn:

References

  1. "Արագածոտնի թեմը ձևավորվել է 1996թ. մայիսի 30-ին". Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  2. "Primate of the Diocese of Aragatsotn". Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2017-05-25.

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