The Deliverance of
St. Gregory the Illuminator
from the Pit
The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church commemorates the memory of the Illuminator of the Armenian nation, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, three times during the year: his imprisonment in Khor Virap, his release from Khor Virap, and the discovery of his relics.
In 301 AD, the Armenian people became the first nation to adopt Christianity as their state religion. The principal figures in this sacred event were Saint Gregory the Illuminator and King Tiridates III.
Armenian historians, particularly Agathangelos and other chroniclers, provide detailed accounts of this remarkable journey—a path marked by suffering, miracles, visions, and triumphs.
The Martyrdom of the Holy Virgins
According to tradition, the establishment of Christianity as Armenia’s state religion is closely connected with the martyrdom of the 37 holy virgins led by Saint Hripsime.
Fleeing the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian in Rome, they found refuge near the capital city of Vagharshapat, in the winepresses outside the city.
The Madness of King Tiridates
King Tiridates became captivated by the beauty of Hripsime and wished to marry her. When she refused, he ordered the torture and execution of all the virgins.
The martyrdom of the “pure and holy Hripsime and her companions” did not pass without consequence. The powerful king fell into “deep sorrow and unbearable anguish.” Hripsime’s radiant beauty haunted his soul, and his troubled conscience overwhelmed his entire being.
One day, while hunting, he began to lose his reason:
“He went mad and, departing from human nature, assumed the appearance of a wild boar and went to dwell among them as one of their kind.” (Agathangelos)
Thus, the king was afflicted with a strange illness traditionally described as boar-like madness.
He abandoned the palace and wandered through the marshes. His condition worsened day by day.
Many of his relatives and servants were also struck by the same affliction, with the exception of his sister, Princess Khosrovidukht.
From Darkness to Light
Some time later, Khosrovidukht received a vision in which God revealed that only Gregory, who had been imprisoned in the deep dungeon of Khor Virap, could heal her brother.
When she told the royal court about the vision, they dismissed it as absurd. They reasoned that after thirteen years in an underground death pit, Gregory could not possibly still be alive.
“The bones of a man who has remained in the pit for thirteen years must surely have turned to dust.”
Yet the same vision appeared to Khosrovidukht five times. Finally, at her insistence, the nobleman Ota was sent to Artashat to bring Gregory out of the pit.
When they lowered long, thick ropes into the dungeon, something astonishing happened. To the amazement of all present, someone grasped the ropes.
They pulled Gregory up and discovered that:
“His body was darkened, black as charcoal.”
They immediately clothed him and joyfully brought him from Artashat to Vagharshapat.
The mockery and laughter of the courtiers turned first into astonishment and then into fear.
Repentance and Forgiveness
When Gregory saw the suffering King Tiridates, he was deeply moved. Falling to his knees, he began to pray fervently.
This scene profoundly affected the king. Tiridates and his nobles also knelt before Gregory with tears in their eyes and pleaded:
“We beg you, forgive us the wrongs we have done against you.”
Gregory replied:
“I am a man just like you. Know your Creator, the Maker of heaven and earth. He alone can heal you.”
In Vagharshapat, Gregory first gathered and buried the remains of the martyred virgins and built three memorial shrines in their honor.
He then established a five-day fast of repentance, which is still observed in the Armenian Church today as the Fast of the Catechumens (Aratchavorats).
For approximately sixty-six days he preached the Christian faith and prayed for the healing of the king.
According to Agathangelos:
“The king stood among the people in the form of a boar. Suddenly he began to tremble, and the boar’s hide, with its hideous tusks and snout, fell away. His face regained its true appearance, and his body became soft and youthful like that of a newborn child. Thus he was completely healed.”
Armenia Becomes Christian
Following this miracle, King Tiridates, the royal court, and the Armenian nation embraced Christianity.
In 301 AD, Christianity was officially proclaimed the state religion of Armenia.
The Newly Consecrated Patriarch
After being consecrated Catholicos of Armenia in Caesarea of Cappadocia, Gregory began the great work of transforming the nation.
Pagan temples and idols were destroyed. Churches were built, schools were established, and hundreds of bishops and priests were ordained.
Gregory’s sole desire was to enlighten a people living in spiritual darkness with the light of the true Gospel and lead them toward spiritual rebirth.
At the River Aratsani, Gregory solemnly baptized King Tiridates, Queen Ashkhen, Princess Khosrovidukht, and countless members of the Armenian people.
Immediately after the baptisms, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the open air and administered Holy Communion to all.
For seven days the newly baptized people experienced profound spiritual joy and consolation.
Agathangelos records that as many as four million people were baptized through the ministry of Gregory the Illuminator.
The Vision of Holy Etchmiadzin
Two months after the healing of King Tiridates, Gregory received a heavenly vision.
The Only-Begotten Son of God appeared to him, descending from heaven surrounded by radiant light.
In this divine vision, Gregory was shown the site where the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was to be built.
The Lord also instructed him to construct memorial shrines at the places where Saint Hripsime and her companions had been martyred.
Feast of the Deliverance from the Pit
The Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Deliverance of Saint Gregory the Illuminator from Khor Virap on the Saturday following the feasts of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane and preceding the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin.
On this day, the Divine Liturgy is celebrated in all Armenian churches, commemorating Gregory’s miraculous deliverance from imprisonment and the beginning of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity.
His emergence from the pit symbolizes the triumph of faith over darkness, forgiveness over vengeance, and the light of Christ over the spiritual blindness of an entire nation.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Wisdom of Solomon 5:1-8 ~
Then the righteous man will stand with great confidence before those who afflicted him and those who made light of his labors. When they see him, they will be shaken with terrible fear and will be amazed at the unexpectedness of his salvation. They will speak to one another in repentance, and in anguish of spirit they will groan and say: “This is the man whom we once held in derision and made a byword of reproach. We fools considered his life madness and his end without honor. How has he come to be numbered among the children of God, and how is his lot among the saints? Therefore we have wandered from the way of truth, and the light of righteousness did not shine upon us, nor did the sun of righteousness rise upon us. We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction; we traveled through trackless deserts, but the way of the Lord we did not know. What profit did our pride bring us? What advantage came from our wealth and boasting?”
~ Isaiah 60:20-61:7 ~
And your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified. The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines; but you shall be called priests of the Lord, you shall be named ministers of our God; you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, and in their riches you shall glory. Because their shame was double, and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot, therefore they shall possess a double portion; everlasting joy shall be theirs.
~ Hebrews 13:17-21~
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you. Pray for us; we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you very soon. Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
~ Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 19:27-29 ~
Then Peter said in reply, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.