Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Descent into the Pit celebrated at Armenian Diocese in Georgia

On April 5, 2025, the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia celebrated the Feast of St. Gregory the Illuminator’s Descent into the Pit. On this day, the Armenian Church commemorates the imprisonment of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, the first Armenian Patriarch, in the underground dungeon of Khor Virap, where he endured terrible tortures for 13 years.

With the blessing of His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the feast day was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. George in Tbilisi by Rev. Father Virap Ghazaryan. For more than two decades, during his years of spiritual service, Rev. Father Ghazaryan has celebrated this solemn liturgy with special devotion.

During the Divine Liturgy, the celebrant delivered a sermon on the sufferings endured by St. Gregory the Illuminator for the Christian faith — his unwavering will over the course of 13 years, his extraordinary endurance, and his deep devotion to God and Christ. Those years were marked by terrible hardship. Confined in a deep dungeon filled with snakes, scorpions, and other reptiles, St. Gregory did not lose hope. Sustained by his faith and the presence of God, he never gave up. It was God who granted him the strength to survive in the darkness and wait for the day of his deliverance — the day he would emerge, be canonized, and begin to preach the Light. Emerging from the depths of the dungeon, St. Gregory the Illuminator began to spread Christianity and became the first Patriarch of the Armenian Church.

The faithful lit candles in memory of St. Gregory the Illuminator, asking for his intercession in their prayers. On his feast day, the curtains of Armenian churches were opened, and the faithful were given the opportunity to receive Holy Communion.

The memory of St. Gregory the Illuminator, recognized as a saint by the wider Christian world, is also honored by other Christian churches.