The Feast of Shoghakat
of Holy Etchmiadzin,
According to the Vision of
St. Gregory the Illuminator
The Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of Shoghakat on the Saturday preceding the Sunday of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. It commemorates the consecration of the Illuminator-built Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. This feast is observed on the eve of the feast of the Blessed Virgin because the Mother Cathedral was originally dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, and its anointing and consecration took place on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption. The title "Shoghakat" ("the pouring down of a ray of light") is connected with the vision of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, just as the name Etchmiadzin is connected with the descent of the Only-Begotten.
According to Saint Gregory the Illuminator's vision, "the light flowed from above downward until it reached the earth," and within this all-encompassing light, "a radiant pillar of light appeared," outlining the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin as well as the three martyr shrines that were to be built in honor of the martyred virgins: one at the site of the martyrdom of Saint Hripsime and her companions, another at the site of Saint Gayane and her companions, and the third at the winepress where the sick virgin had been martyred. Afterwards, the Patriarch reverently enshrined the relics of the holy virgins in these churches, where they remain to this day, and through them many miracles and healings have taken place throughout history.
The name Shoghakat was given to one of the shrines built by Saint Gregory, from which he first saw the initial appearance of the divine light before beholding the radiant structure marking the site of the Mother Cathedral itself. Since the tomb of Saint Mariane, the sick virgin martyred at the winepress among Saint Hripsime's companions, was located at this holy site, the name "Shoghakat" gradually became associated with her and came into use among Armenians as a feminine given name.
The Monastery of Saint Shoghakat was built in the 18th century during the patriarchate of Catholicos Nahapet I of Edessa.
For centuries, the churches of Saint Gayane, Saint Hripsime, and Saint Shoghakat have been sacred pilgrimage destinations for the Armenian people, while Holy Etchmiadzin, the Mother See, is the cradle of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the holiest sanctuary of the Armenian faith.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Proverbs 19:19-26 ~
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble. If you sit down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden panic, or of the storm that strikes the wicked; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.
~ Ezekiel 40:3-10 ~
When he brought me there, a man was there, whose appearance shone like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, "Mortal, look closely and listen attentively, and set your mind upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you; declare all that you see to the house of Israel." Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple area. The length of the measuring reed in the man's hand was six long cubits, each being a cubit and a handbreadth in length; so he measured the thickness of the wall, one reed; and the height, one reed. Then he went into the gateway facing east, going up its steps, and measured the threshold of the gate, one reed deep. There were recesses, and each recess was one reed wide and one reed deep; and the space between the recesses, five cubits; and the threshold of the gate by the vestibule of the gate at the inner end was one reed deep. Then he measured the inner vestibule of the gateway, one cubit. Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and its pilasters, two cubits; and the vestibule of the gate was at the inner end. There were three recesses on either side of the east gate; the three were of the same size; and the pilasters on either side were of the same size.
~ 1 Peter 2:1-10 ~
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 16:3-19 ~
And in the morning, "It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, "Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They said to one another, "It is because we have brought no bread." And becoming aware of it, Jesus said, "You of little faith, why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How could you fail to perceive that I was not speaking about bread? Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!" Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."