Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (Armenian: Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին, romanized: Mayr At’oř Surb Ēĵmiatsin), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, Mayr At’oř), is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia and is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the head of the church.
Organizational structure
The organizational structure of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is composed of spiritual and administrative bodies representing the authority of the Armenian Church, as follows:
Supreme Spiritual Council
The Supreme Spiritual Council (Armenian: Գերագոյն Հոգեւոր Խորհուրդ Geraguyn Hokevor Khorhurt) is headed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. It is the highest executive body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Members of the Spiritual Council are either elected by the National Ecclesiastical Assembly or directly appointed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. The Supreme Spiritual Council was established on January 1, 1924, upon reforms initiated by Catholicos George V, replacing the Synod of Bishops.
National Ecclesiastical Assembly
The National Ecclesiastical Assembly (Armenian: Ազգային եկեղեցական ժողով Azgayin Yekeghetsakan Zhoghov) is headed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. It is the supreme legislative body of the Armenian Church. Elected by the individual Diocesan Assemblies, the National Ecclesiastical Assembly is the body that elects the Catholicos of All Armenians.
Council of Bishops
The Council of Bishops (Armenian: Եպիսկոպոսաց ժողով Yepiskoposats Zhoghov) is an administrative body headed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. It has a consulting role, making suggestions on the dogmatic, religious, and canonical issues to be during the meetings of the National Ecclesiastical Assembly.
Diocesan Assembly
The Diocesan Assembly (Armenian: Թեմական Պատգամաւորական Ժողով Temakan Patkamavorakan Zhoghov) headed by the primate of the diocese, is the highest legislative body of each dioceses of the Armenian church. The assembly elect the delegates to the National Ecclesiastical Assembly, as well as the members of the Diocesan Council. The assembly is heavily involved in the administrative issues within the diocese. In some cases, the assembly elects the primate of the diocese.
Diocesan Council
The Diocesan Council (Armenian: Թեմական Խորհուրդ Temakan Khorhurt) headed by the primate of the diocese, is the highest executive body of a dioceses of the Armenian church. It regulates the internal administrative activity of the diocese under the direction of the primate. Members of the council are elected by the Diocesan Assembly.
Monastic Brotherhood
The Monastic Brotherhood (Armenian: Վանական Միաբանութիւն Vanakan Miabanutiun) is composed of the celibate clergy of the monastery who are led by the abbot. Currently, the Armenian Church has 3 brotherhoods: the brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the brotherhood of Saint James at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the brotherhood of the Holy See of Cilicia. The brotherhood is involved in decisions regarding the internal affairs of the monastery. Each brotherhood elects 2 delegates to take part in the National Ecclesiastical Assembly.
Parish Assembly
The Parish Assembly (Armenian: Ծխական Ժողով Tskhakan Zhoghov) is the general assembly of the community regulated by the spiritual pastor. The Parish Assembly either elects or appoints the members of the Parish Council as well as the delegates to the Diocesan Assembly.
Parish Council
The Parish Council (Armenian: Ծխական Խորհուրդ Tskhakan Khorhurt) is the executive-administrative body of the community, regulated by the spiritual pastor of the community. It is mainly involved in the realization of the administrative and financial activities of the community. Members of the council are either elected or appointed by the Parish Assembly.
Departments
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has the following service departments:
Ecumenical Relations Department: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin became member of the World Council of Churches in 1962. In 1973, the Ecumenical Relations Department was officially established by Catholicos Vazgen I. Adjacent to the department, the Ecumenical Theological Council of Consultation was founded in 2011.
Information Services Department: founded in December 1994 as the press office of the Mother See. In 2000, it became known as Information Services Department, upon reforms initiated by Catholicos Karekin II.
Christian Education Center: the centre was opened on November 22, 1996, by Catholicos Karekin I. The centre operates with many sections, with activities directed to Christian education and teaching methods, as well as relations with other churches and international institutions.
Publications Department: of the Mother See was opened on April 1, 2006. In addition to the formal published books and works, the department also issues religious, calendars, prayer booklets, educational pamphlets, etc. Etchmiadzin monthly is the official periodical of the Catholicosate of all Armenians. It was first published in 1944 and is considered the successor of the Ararat monthly published earlier by the Catholicos George IV in 1868. The publications in general are realized through the donations of a group of faithful sponsors.
Programs
Youth centers known as Hayordyats toun (Armenian: Հայորդյաց տուն) in Armenian: are children's creativity centers located throughout Armenia under the regulation of the Mother See supported by the Armenian General Benevolent Union. The program was initiated by Catholicos Karekin II in 1993 who was serving as Pontifical Vicar of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese at the time. Currently, there are 8 centres: 4 in the capital Yerevan (including the Hayk and Elza Titizian Children's Rehabilitation Center), with the remaining 3 centers located in Vanadzor, Vagharshapat and Ashtarak. Approximately 3,500 students regularly attend the centers.
College Ministry: the program was launched on December 26, 2004, by Catholicos Karekin II, aimin to work cooperatively with student council organizations of the major Armenian universities. The ministry is headquartered in Yerevan.
Izmirlian Medical Center and Surb Nerses Mets Research and Education Center: a medical center-institute originally opened in 1986 in Yerevan as a center of proctology. Between 1998 and 2000, the center was redeveloped by the Armenian General Benevolent Union. In 2000, the center was granted to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. In 2013, the center was entirely redeveloped through donations from the Izmirlian Family Foundation.
Soup kitchens: the program was launched in 1992, shortly after independence, in partnership with the Armenian General Benevolent Union. Currently, there are 3 soup kitchens in Yerevan, with the other 3 located in Sevan, Vagharshapat and Hrazdan. The kitchens serve more than 1,200 recipients per day, from the most vulnerable members of the society.
Prison Ministry: the program was launched in May 1993 by Catholicos Karekin II who was serving as Pontifical Vicar of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese at that time. The purpose of the program is to make the spiritual service in detention facilities more organized and productive. Currently, all of the 12 detention centres in Armenia are provided with spiritual service.
Church Chaplaincy of the Armed Forces of Armenia: the program was officially launched on November 13, 1997, upon the joint initiative of Ctaholicos Karekin I, and then-Minister of Defence Vazgen Sargsyan. The program is initiated primarily to serve in the frontier regiments of the Armenian Army, the military educational institutions, as well as in the regiments of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army. Permanent chapels have been opened in many regiments.
Directly regulated churches
While most of the Armenian churches are regulated by the local diocese of the church, however, there are few churches in different locations of Armenia are directly regulated by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin:
Eurnekian School: operating since 2009 and regulated by the Mother See. It was founded on the basis of No. 13 School of Vagharshapat operating since 1959. The current building of the school is located to the south of the Mother Cathedral, within the territory of the Mother See complex.
Other projects and activities
The Mother See has responsibility over many educational and social services programs, including:
Vagharshapat City Stadium: is a football stadium opened in 1973 at the south of the Mother See complex and has a capacity of 3,000 spectators. The stadium will be fully renovated within the near future through the financial support of the church benefactors.
"Let It Be Light" solar photovoltaic park: located to the south of the Mother See, outside the walls of the complex. The project was initiated and fulfilled in 2017, including installation of solar water heaters and photovoltaic array, with a cost exceeding US$2 million. It also includes a solar park, solar heating system and solar efficiency programs. The project was financed by the Tunyan Family Fund.
Buildings and structures in the monastic complex
Churches
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in 301–303. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the oldest church built by a state in the world. According to the 5th-century Armenian annals, Saint Gregory had a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Hence, the patriarch gave the church and the city the new name of Echmiadzin, which can be translated as "the place where the Only Begotten descended". In 480, Vahan Mamikonian, the Sassanian governor-marzban of Armenia, ordered the dilapidated basilica to be replaced with a new cruciform church. In 618, a stone dome replaced the original wooden one, resting on four massive pillars linked to exterior walls by arcades. This was the church much as it is today. Murals in the interior and extravagant rotundas surmounting the apses appeared in the early 18th century. Between 1654 and 1658, the main three-tier belfry at the entrance of the cathedral was erected.
Saints Vartan and Hovhannes Baptistery, a chapel located at the north of the Mother Cathedral, designated for baptism ceremonies. The three-domed chapel was designed by architects Jim Torosyan and Romeo Julhakyan. The chapel was consecrated on 26 September 2008 and the construction was funded by the British-Armenian philanthropist Armen Sarkissian.
Church of the Holy Archangels, built between 2009 and 2011, located in the yard of Gevorkian Seminary building. The single-domed church was consecrated on 5 November 2011. It was designed by architect Jim Torosyan, funded by philanthropist Gagik Galstyan.
Pontifical Chapel of the Holy Patriarchs, opened on 18 September 2019 in the yard of Veharan pontifical residence. Carvings of the four evangelists adorn the chapel's dome, while the twelve apostles are depicted on its pillars.