ARCHBISHOP MAKAR TEGUTTSI TER-PETROSYAN

1864-1878 (Years of Leadership)

Archbishop Makar Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan was born in 1813 in Teghut village of Mush province. He was the son of a priest, Reverend Father Petros Hazroyan (Ter Petros Hazroyan).

From 1828 to 1834, he studied in the Theological School of  the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. 

In 1842, he received the rank of Archimandrite and one year later was appointed to serve as a supervisor and lecturer in the Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He traveled to Persia, Turkey and Russia which had a big population of Armenians, collected various Armenian manuscripts, and relocated them to Matenadaran (Matenadaran is a museum of ancient manuscripts;a repository of manuscripts and research institute) of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.   

In 1848, he was elected as a member of the Synod, and in 1849, he was appointed as the Director of Matenadaran of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

On April 12, 1852, he was granted the rank of Proto Archimandrite and on August 15, of the same year, he was consecrated as a Bishop; in 1859 he was granted the title of Archbishop.

In 1862, he was appointed to administer the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia, and on March 15, 1864, he became the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia.

From February 20, 1876 to 1885, he served as the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Nor Nakhichevan and Bessarabia.

In 1885, the National Ecclesiastical Assembly of the Armenian Church elected him as the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, during the six years of his service, with his experience and intelligence led productive work and always used to say; “A person is appointed to serve only when he is already powerless.”

In 1888, Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, started repair works at the Mother Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The last time the Mother Cathedral had been renovated was by the order of Movses III Tatevatsi, Catholicos of All Armenians, (1629- 1632). The establishment of the Printing House at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was another huge accomplishment of Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians. 

Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, was the first one, who sent two deacons to study in Germany: the first one was Karapet Ter-Mkrtchyan, who studied theology, and the second one was Soghomon Soghomonian (Archimandrite Komitas, commonly known as Komitas), he studied music. Later, Komitas became the famous Armenian musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster; the founder of the Armenian national school of music. He is recognized as one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology.

The tireless efforts of Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, made it possible to get permission from the royal court to re-open the Armenian Schools in Armenia and resulted in the restoration of the rights of the Catholicos of All Armenians.

Makar I Teguttsi Ter-Petrosyan, Catholicos of All Armenians, died in 1891 and was buried near the bell tower at the Mother Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (M. Ormanyan “Azgapatum” (National History), v.3, article 2917, 2945, 2951, and 2952. G. Stepanyan “Biographical Dictionary” Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, volume 7).