Feast of
the Discovery of the Relics of
St. Gregory the Illuminator
Saint Gregory the Illuminator spent the final years of his life in seclusion and ascetic devotion in a cave called Manya on Mount Sepuh. The cave was known by that name because Saint Mane, one of the Holy Virgins of Saint Hripsime’s company, had once lived there.
When thirty years of his patriarchal ministry had been completed, having “fought the good fight, kept the faith, finished the course, and attained the unfading crown,” he ascended Mount Sepuh at the Lord’s command and withdrew into silence. Yet even while living in the cave, Saint Gregory never forgot his apostolic mission. From time to time he would leave his retreat to visit the people, travel with his disciples on missionary journeys, and strengthen everyone in the faith.
Recognizing Gregory’s periodic withdrawals from public life, King Tiridates summoned his sons from Caesarea: Aristakes, who had chosen a celibate life, and Vrtanes, who was married and the father of two children. They were ordained bishops by their father and appointed to assist in both the patriarchate and the royal court.
The aged patriarch’s final visit to Vagharshapat was connected with the return of his son Aristakes from the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. After that, Gregory never again left his hermitage.
In the peaceful solitude of that cave, the death of Armenia’s second enlightener, Saint Gregory the Patriarch, took place in profound silence. Alone, with no one present, he surrendered his pure soul to God. The circumstances of his death remain unknown. Some time later, local shepherds happened upon the cave while seeking a place to rest. There they discovered the lifeless body of the holy shepherd. Not knowing who he was and assuming him to be a simple hermit, they buried him beneath a pile of stones and departed.
Years later, the burial place was revealed through a divine vision to an ascetic named Garnik of Basen. Garnik recovered the relics of the Armenian patriarch and transferred them to Thordan, in the district of Daranaghik. A shrine was later erected there. The memory of this event was never forgotten, and the story of the finding of Saint Gregory’s relics became the basis of the Feast of the “Discovery of the Relics” (Gyut Nshkharats).
It is not known exactly when the relics preserved at Thordan began to be distributed to various locations. Portions of them were taken to the capital city of Vagharshapat, and even as far as Byzantium and Italy. In the fifth century, Emperor Zeno (474–491) transferred Saint Gregory’s relics from Thordan to Constantinople. Later, in the seventh century, through the efforts of Gregory Patrick, they were brought back to Armenia. Half of the bones were placed in Zvartnots, while the remainder were preserved in other churches and various holy places.
Subsequently, Armenian nuns transferred some of Saint Gregory’s bones from the Cathedral of Zvartnots to Naples, Italy, where a church was built in his honor. Saint Gregory is regarded as the second patron saint of Naples, after Saint Januarius, and he is honored there with a special feast on September 30.
The Holy Right Hand of Saint Gregory, a revered relic believed to bestow blessings and grace, is preserved at Holy Etchmiadzin. It is one of the principal sacred relics used in the blessing of the Holy Chrism (Muron) and serves as the official symbol of authority of the Catholicosal See.
To commemorate the 1700th anniversary of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, brought a portion of Saint Gregory’s relics back to Armenia in November 2000. These relics were placed in the newly built Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Yerevan.
The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrates the third feast dedicated to Saint Gregory the Illuminator—the Discovery of His Relics—on the third Saturday after Pentecost. This feast is preceded by a week of fasting.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
~ Wisdom of Solomon 4:7-15 ~
But the righteous, even if they die early, will be at rest. For old age is not honored for length of time or measured by number of years, but understanding is gray hair for anyone, and a blameless life is ripe old age. There was one who pleased God and was loved by him and while living among sinners was taken up. He was caught up so that evil might not change his understanding or guile deceive his soul. For the fascination of wickedness obscures what is good, and roving desire perverts the innocent mind. Being perfected in a short time, he fulfilled long years, for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore he hastened him from the midst of wickedness. Yet the peoples saw and did not understand or take such a thing to heart, that God’s grace and mercy are with his elect and that he watches over his holy ones.
~ Micah 7:7-10 ~
But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I must bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, until he takes my side and executes judgment for me. He will bring me out to the light; I shall see his vindication. Then my enemy will see, and shame will cover her who said to me, "Where is the Lord your God?" My eyes will see her downfall; now she will be trodden down like the mire of the streets.
~ Book of Acts 20:22-32 ~
And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace. "And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.
~ Holy Gospel of St. John 10:11-16 ~
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.