ARCHBISHOP GAREGIN HOVSEPYANTS

1900-1901 (Years of Leadership)

Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants, was born on December 17, 1867, in Magavuz village of Mardakert region in Karabakh.  

In 1890, he graduated from the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He received his higher education at the universities of Berlin, Leipzig and Halle (1892-1896) in Germany.

Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants was one of the prominent church leaders in the Armenian Church; he was an Armenian cultural figure, teacher, Armenologist, academic member of the Armenian Research Institute (1921), Doctor of Philosophy (Leipzig, 1897), Full Member of the Caucasian department of the Moscow Royal Archaeological Society (1902), and also of Petersburg Royal Archaeological Society (1902).

From 1897, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants was a lecturer at the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; later in 1905, 1906, 1915-1917 he was appointed also as the Administrator.

In 1897, he was ordained as a celibate priest and in the same year he received the rank of Archimandrite.

From 1900 to 1901, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants was the Deputy Head of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia under the leadership of Archbishop Gevorg Surenyants.  

He served as the Abbot of the Monastery of Surb Gayane (Saint Gayane) in Etchmiadzin.

From 1907-1908 and subsequently from 1915-1917, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants was the editor of the “Ararat” Magazine.

In 1917, he was consecrated as a Bishop.

In 1918, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants participated in the Battle of Sardarabad.

He taught Art History and Archeology at Yerevan University, Armenia. Together with Alexander Tamanyan he participated in the creation of the Special Committee for the Protection of Armenian Antiquities and Monuments.  

In 1925, he was granted the title of Archbishop.

From 1927 to 1933, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants was the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Crimea and Nor Nakhijevan.

From 1938 to 1943, Archbishop Garegin Hovsepyants served in the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United States of America.

In 1943, he was elected and consecrated as the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

His Holiness Garegin Hovsepyants, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, passed away on June 21, 1925 in Antelias (Lebanon). In the memory of His Holiness Garegin Hovsepyants, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia remain numerous valuable scientific works that relate to archeology, Armenian culture and art.