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The following are the names of the Twelve Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church and their prayers.
Forwaord
The prayers translated here represent but a taste of the depth and breadth of
the spirituality of the Armenian Church. Written at different times, in diverse
literary forms, inspired by various circumstances, the prayers reflect the
richness of the Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout the ages.
The Armenians professed the Christian faith preached by Christ's apostles,
fundamentally the same as that of other ancient churches. However, since this
faith was not a mere creed of abstract doctrines but a radical outlook on life,
it was experienced, interpreted and expressed in a way necessarily peculiar to
the Armenian people. That distinctive vision of God and his love for humanity is
revealed in these prayers. The twelve fathers arranged chronologically in this
anthology fully reflect the orthodox faith of the Armenian people. St. John
Chrysostom and St. Ephrem are not of Armenian descent, but from the rise of
Christianity in Armenia, they were adopted by the Armenians as their own. Others
in the collection, such as Sahak Dzorop'orets'i, Grigor Magistros, and the two
Johns, Sarkavag-Vardapet and Garnets'i, while not canonized saints, were
nevertheless acknowledged as such at times by the Armenian faithful who
cherished their writings. We therefore include them here alongside the other
saints. The prayers are provided for private devotion, contemplation, and as a
call to grow in the apostolic faith of our forebears. In some ways, these
prayers are maps for our journey to God, uttered by saintly sojourners who knew
the spiritual territory, and having arrived, now call us to join them. May these
supplications provide comfort and the assuring joy that God hears our prayers.
The Faculty of St. Nersess Armenian Seminary New Rochelle, New York Feast of the Holy Archangels Michael
and Gabriel, 1998 St. Gregory The Illuminator
A Prayer for Times of Trouble.
Blessed is your love for mankind, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Why do you
forsake me? You alone are without sin, and your name shows kindness and love for
mankind. Show me compassion, for you alone love mankind. Save me, who have
fallen into sin, for you alone are without sin. Remove me from the mire of my
iniquity, for I am submerged forever and ever. Save me from my enemies, for like
a lion they growl and roar, seeking to swallow me up. Now, my Lord, flash your
lightning and destroy their power. May they fear you and be cut off from the
light of your face, since they cannot stand in your presence, Lord, nor in the
presence of those who love you. Whoever calls on you sees the power of the sign
of your Cross, Lord, and trembles and shies away from it. Now, Lord, save and
keep me, for I have put my trust in you. Liberate me from my trouble, so that
the malicious one will not cast me into oblivion, for he battles against me in
his insidious ways. Even over secrets you have dominion, Lord, and you search
the hearts and innermost being. Purify my heart and my thoughts of all lewd and
vile thoughts so that I will not be lost into eternal perdition. Have mercy on
me, God, who have power over all, and grant the grace of tears to my sinful
soul, so that I may wash the multitude of my sins; so that I may be saved from
the hand of merciless angels who cast innocent ones into the fires of hell. I
should weep continually, praying to you God, that I may not be found unworthy at
that hour when you will come, lest I hear that awful voice, "Be gone servant of
evil. I do not know where you are from". Exalted God, the only sinless one,
grant me, this sinner, your abundant compassion on that day, so that my secret
wickedness will not be revealed in the sight of the angels and archangels, the
prophets, the apostles and all the righteous. But save me, this wicked one, by
the grace of your mercy. Receive me into paradise with the perfectly just.
Receive the prayers of this your sinful servant by the intercession of the
saints who are pleasing to you, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Glory to you with the
Father and the Holy Spirit unto the ages of ages. Anlen. St. Gregory the llluminator (d. 325)
is the founder of the Armenian Church (ca. 301), following the conversion
of King Trdat and the masses. But more than the Christianization of the
nation, St. Gregory is revered for the unprecedented tortures he endured
for the sake of Christ, for which reason he is acknowledged a saint in
all the ancient churches.
St. Ephraham The Syrian
A
Prayer of Contrition and Confession
I pray to you, Christ, Savior of the world. Look down and have mercy on me.
Save me from the multitude of my transgressions, for I have disdained all the
good things you have done for me since I was a child. Foolish and stupid as I am
now, you fashioned me as a vessel filed with your knowledge and wisdom. Multiply
in me your graces. Satisfy my hunger, quench my thirst, enlighten my darkened
mind, and focus my wandering thoughts. And now I bow down and pray to you. I
fall down and beg you, acknowledging your goodness. Interrupt the stream of your
mercy into me and keep it in your treasury for me so that you might give it to
me on that day. Do not be angry with me, loving Lord, for I cannot endure your
threats. This is why I fervently beg you, abound in me, for my tongue has grown
weak, unable to speak of your grace. My mind is seized in amazement, unable to
bear the greatness of the waves of your grace. O Appearance and Radiance of the
Father's blessing, cease its flow into me here so that like fire it may enflame
my insides and my heart. Now again grant me your grace, and let me live in your
kingdom. Do not remember my depravity. I dare ask you to answer my prayers.
Cover over my depravity from your omniscience. Receive my tears. Accept my
lament. Remember the tears I cried before your holy martyrs so that you might
show me compassion on that day, and cover me under the protection of your grace.
For if you respond according to my depravity, miserable wretch that I am, what
shall become of me? But with weeping tears, I entreat your love of mankind,
save me from the multitude of my iniquities, and grant me your kingdom. Show me,
a sinner, your ineffable love. Make me like the thief, who, with one word,
became an heir of paradise. Take me there, to the promise you will keep. Glory
to the Father, our Creator, and to the Son, our Savior, and to the Holy Spirit,
our Restorer, unto unending and indelible eternity. St. Ephrem the Syrian (t3
73), known in Armenian as "Khouri' (Cleric), is the foremost writer in the
Syriac Christian tradition, which was influential in the formation of early
Armenian theology and liturgy. Many of hts numerous hymns and metrical homilies
have been handed down only in an early Armenian translation. This prayer is an
excerpt from a book of Ephrem's prayers preserved only in Armenian.
St. John Chrysostom
A Prayer of Preparation for
Receiving Holy Communion
O Lord my God, I thank you, and I magnify you, and I glorify you, for today
you have made unworthy me worthy to share in your divine and terrible Mystery,
in your immaculate Body and precious Blood. Having them as intercessors, I pray:
Keep me in your holiness every day and every hour of my life, so that by
remembering your goodness, I may live with you, who suffered, and died, and rose
for us. My Lord and God, my soul being sealed with your precious Blood, keep
the Destroyer away from me. Most powerful One, the only sinless One, cleanse me
of my every useless deed with your holy Body and Blood. Strengthen my life,
Lord, against every temptation, and turn my adversary away from me ashamed and
confounded every time he attacks me. Strengthen every step of my mind and
tongue, and every move of my body. Be with me always by your unfailing
promise, "Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood abides in me and I in him."
You said it, loving God. Uphold the words of your divine and irrevocable
commandments. For you are a God of mercy, and of compassion, and of love, and
the bestower of all good things. And you are worthy of glory, together with your
Father and your most-holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages.
Amen. St. John Chrysostom (c. 350-407) is known in Armenia and throughout the
Christian East as the "golden mouth" for his profound and passionate homilies,
His writings were among the first documents translated into Armenian after the
Bible. Today more manuscripts of Chrysostom's works have come down to us than of
any other Armenian or non-Armenian author, a sure sign of his unquestioned
authority in the Armenian Church.
St. Mesrob Mashtots
A Hymnic Prayer of Reconciliation with God
Christ, God of Gods, have mercy on me. In iniquity did my mother give birth
to me. I beg you, Savior, have mercy on me. Wounded in sin, I fall down before
you, Savior. Do not overlook me. Have mercy on me. Sighing, the tax
collector received forgiveness in the temple. In his very words I too call
out, "Have mercy on me, God". The thief cried upon the cross: "Remember
me, Lord." In his very words I too call out, "Have mercy on me, God".
Pleading, the prodigal son begged you, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and
before you." In his very words I too call out, "Have mercy on me, God". With
the poor, Lord, grant us sobriety, by the example of Lazarus, so that in
voluntary poverty we might be worthy with him of the kingdom of heaven. Hear us
and have mercy on us, Christ God. In place of the bread of deprivation, you
granted him the bread of immortality. And contrary to the uncompassionate rich
man, you received Lazarus into the bosom of Abraham. Hear us and have mercy on
us, Christ God. Enlighten the eyes of our heart so we may receive the mercy
that comes from you, Lord of mercy, lest like the rich man in the fiery furnace,
we ask to be refreshed with a fingertip of water. Hear us and have mercy on us,
Christ God. Together with the wakeful ones in heaven, glorify the almighty
Father, God who has no beginning! With angelic voice, glorify the
Only-begotten Son, begotten of the Father! And with joyous sound, glorify the
Holy Spirit, the Restorer, with unceasing voice! God without beginning and
heavenly king, glorified by the immortal heavenly hosts, we bless you, O Father
without beginning. You humbled yourself from the heights for our salvation, O
Liberator of bonds and Healer of our souls. We praise you, O Only-begotten Son.
Consubstantial with the Father and glorified with the Only begotten, distributor
of gifts and bestower of mercy, You we glorify, true Holy Spirit. O Wisdom of
the Father, who shined the divine light of your Word upon the darkness of
ignorance enclosing the world, enlightens us also. You signified in the rich
man and Lazarus an example of the universal judgement by handing them the
contrary fates they received. And so we shall ask you, Lord, to save us from
the fire of sin and suffering, that we might rest in the bosom of the righteous
patriarch. With him, we too join the voice of the choirs of angels singing
glory in the highest to the indivisible Holy Trinity. In 404 AD St. Mesrob
Mashtots' invented the Armenian alphabet, He was heralded a saint because his
alphabet made it possible to communicate the faith--the Bible, the writings of
the Church Fathers, creeds, prayers, and hymns--to the Armenian people in their
own language. Many ancient musical prayers, like this one, are attributed to
him, and chanted to this day during the daily services.
St. John Mantakuni
A Double Prayer for the Early Morning We give you thanks, O Lord our God, who
have awakened us from restful sleep by the grace of your mercy. Awaken our minds
in righteousness for you, Lord our God, so that our eyes may see your salvation.
May your divinity come and abide in us, and may your mercy shelter and protect
your servants. By day and by night and at all times make us, your servants,
reflect always on the love of your commandments, in thanksgiving to glorify the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of
ages, Amen. You are the life-giving Power and the Source of immortality,
Christ God, our Savior. You have granted us to rise in the middle of the night
and to confess to you regarding your statutes and righteousness. And now we ask
you, Lord our God, make us vigilant and ready with your saints at the morning
hour, and giving thanks with them, let us glorify you with the Father and the
Holy Spirit. Now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen. St. Hovhannes Mantakuni (ca. 420-490)
was a welleducated and venerable Catholicos of the Armenian Church. His
name is frequently mentioned as a principal figure in the development of
the liturgical books of the Armenian Church: the Book of Hours (Zhamagirk),
the Book of Hymns (Sharaknots), and the Ritual Book (Mashtots). The ancient
prayer above is recited during the Night Service, conducted before sunrise.
Sahak Dzorop'orets'i
A Hymnic Prayer for the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak
By the sign of your all-conquering
Cross, loving Christ, protect us against the invisible enemy. For you alone are the king of glory,
blessed forever. On this Cross you spread out your
undefiled arms, and you poured out your blood for the salvation of the
universe. For you alone are the king of glory, blessed forever. When, at your second coming, this
holy Sign is revealed, make us, your servants, worthy of the second renewal.
For you alone are the king of glory, blessed forever. May your Cross be our refuge with
its blazing brilliance. That which is named the tree of life destroyed
the enemy and dissolved our death sentence, for the salvation of the universe. Elevating it, heaven exults and the
earth rejoices at the revelation of the universal form of the four arms
of the holy Cross, which illuminated the wo~d with rays like the sun. Jerusalem exulted. The faithful rejoiced,
marvelously adorned, for they saw the triumphant sign. All creation shone
by its light. You shined today the light of your unspeakable divinity upon the
Cross,
On the mount of Varak.
Blessed is the Lord God of our Fathers!
You made known today the appearance of your awe-inspiring second coming,
By
the sign of your Cross, beaming it on earth.
Blessed is the Lord God of our
Fathers!
You gave a sign to those in fear, and a weapon against their enemy.
With it, protect those who believe in your holy name.
Blessed is the Lord God
of our Fathers!
He adorned today the sign of the Cross
With a heavenly
light brighter than the sun.
Bless the Lord and exalt him forever!
He
revealed today the redemptive Sign to the angels,
By descending to the mount
of Varak.
Blessed is the Lord God of our Fathers!
Come all you saved by
the life-giving Cross,
Bowing down to Christ our Savior upon it.
Blessed
is the Lord God of our Fathers! Another
Catholicos, Sabak Dzorop'orets'i (ca. 635-703) led the Armenian Church
through the cataclysm of the Arab invasions in the late seventh century.
The Armenians' turbulent history of foreign domination drew them to contemplate
with particular devotion the mystery of the Cross, by which Christ transformed
suffering and death into joy and life. This hymn commemorates a miraculous
apparition on Mount Varak in Armenia, and the discovery there, of a relic
of the true Cross of Christ.
St. Gregory of Narek
A Prayer of the Divine Liturgy to
the Holy Spirit
Almighty, beneficent, loving God
of all, Creator of everything visible and invisible, Savior and Restorer,
Provider and Pacifier, O mighty Spirit of the Father, we entreat you with
open arms and pray with sighs and cries standing before your awe-inspiring
presence. We draw near with great trembling
and utmost fear to offer first this rational sacrifice to your unsearchable
power, as to the sharer of the inalienable honor of the Father in enthronement,
in glory, and in creation, to you, the searcher of the hidden depth of
the mysteries of the all perfect will of the Father of Emmanuel, who sends
you and who is the Savior, the Giver of life and the Creator of all. Through you the three persons of
the one God were made known to us. You too, O incomprehensible One, are
recognized as one among them. With you and through you the early scions
of the patriarchal family, named seers, declare in plain language the things
past and the things to come, the things that have been and the things that
have not yet come to be. O Spirit of God, uncircumscribed power that you
are, by being proclaimed through Moses to be the one moving on the surface
of the waters and brooding with tremendous envelopment, and covering and
defending the newly born under your wings in tender love, you made known
the mystery of the baptismal font. In the pattern of the archetype,
before constructing the pliable substance with its final covering, you
formed in lordly manner, O Mighty one, the complete natures of all beings
and of all things out of nothing. Through you all these your creatures
are created for the renewal of the resurrection, which will be in that
time which is the last day of this life and the first day of the land of
the living. The first-born Son, being of the same generation as you, and
of the same essence of the Father, obeyed you also with oneness of will,
as he did his Father. He, being in our likeness, announced you to be true
God, equal and Consubstantial to his mighty Father. He declared blasphemy
against you to be unforgivable and he stopped the impious mouths of them
that rebel against you, as of such as fight against God, while he forgave
blasphemy against himself, the righteous and the spotless one, finder of
all, who was betrayed for our sins and rose again for our justification. Glory to Him through You, and praise
to You with the Father almighty, unto the ages of ages. Amen. St, Gregory of Narek (ca. 945-1003)
is another pillar figure in the Armenian Church. His many prayers and elegies
reveal a profound and startlingly intimate sense of God's presence, a mysticism
comparable only to that of St. Augustine in the West. It is no wonder that
his powerful, wrenching words have been a source of comfort and solace
to Armenians throughout the centuries.
Grigor
Magistros
A Prayer to Christ the Savior
"I was hungry and you fed me",
You who clothed the naked ones;
"I was thirsty and you gave me drink",
You who took the strangers in;
"You came to me in the prison,"
You who think of aU good things. Prostrate,
I fall before you, Savior,
Make me worthy of these words; And hear the
intercession of that one,
Your holy Virgin parent. I stand before your
sanctuary
Having placed my trust in her Who nourished you with her holy
breasts?
And fed you with her milk, She, the sun rising above you,
Who
bore you unto righteousness, And the intercession of others above
Who are
remembered once again, And that of the holy progenitors-
All those called
Adamic-- And that of other forebears:
The patriarchs, in their order, The
ranks of all the prophets,
Apostles whatever their standing, The church
fathers undefiled,
And all ascetic monks, True witnesses and martyrs
In
their respective ranks, And all benevolent people-
From Adam to our time.
O you who forgave them all,
Hear now my prayer, Lord. Return unto me for
good both now
And until my departure at last. Keep me always in peace,
Faithful to your Word. And in the day of the final feast-
as in writing I
repeat-- Grant mercy and a place
Within your bridal chamber, To me, my
family, and to strangers,
To friends and to acquaintances, And to all who
do repent,
Who put their trust in you. My Lord, accept their petitions;
Fulfill the desires of all their hearts. And praise to you and thanks to the
Father
and honor to the Holy Spirit. Grigor Magistros (ca. 990-1059) was
probably the most educated Armenian of his generation. Six of his descendants
became Catholicos, including his son, Grigor 1I, called Vkayaser (Martyrophile),
and a greatgrandson, St. Nersess IV, called Shnorhali (Gracefilled). The
prayer is from the conclusion of "The Mighty Acts of God," the first literary
epic in Armenian,
Hovhannes Sarkavag Vardapet
A Prayer to God the Father
Generous in every good thing, enriching
the poor, in essence and always good, O Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom you achieved the redemption of the lost descendants of Adam
and restored anew those who thwarted life, those you created in your image,
through him. And the one who cheated your servants out of life, the charlatan
in accusations and everything else, these things that are not pleasing
to you, him you did bring down, you stripped his rule through the suffering
of your Christ, and elevated over and above the imposter those who were
overcome by him. Look gently at your useless servant
and let me not fall prey to the evil beast. I am a child and a despised
being. O perfect power and essence without beginning, be my strength and
shield me from his attacks. Father of orphans, forgive my chronic imperfection,
both physical and mental. I am fearful of that determined and venomous
serpent. Would I succumb to his claws and jaws because of my feeble nature,
my immature age, and unripe thoughts? Save me, Lord, by casting the fear
of your invincible power upon him; and make me physically whole, valorous
in spirit, established in goodness, happy in life, according to your good
will. Arm me with every cautionary armament against the evil warrior, like
your servant David against Goliath. Lift me from the affliction of the
pit of ignorance, where the delicious water of your life-giving love does
not exist, as you lifted Joseph from the pit of death and from the house
of bondage to the royal throne. Grant me your beloved wisdom and understanding,
that I may proceed sure-footed in mind along the way that does not lead
to perdition, as you bestowed your Spirit upon the youth Daniel, to honor
him and to thwart off the debauchery of the misguided and misleading elders. Send me, Father, your encouragement
from on high and the strength of fearlessness toward all such persons who
act contrary to your commands, that I may not be deceived by the vanity
of this life which ordinarily steals away the wavering and unsettled mind,
to distance it from you, making the wayward think that they are stable
and immovable. You who strengthened Hananiah and his companions to withstand
the forceful orders and to choose the weightier death, even to be with
shackles in the annihilating fire, so that nothing unpleasing to you may
be found in them, and lest they depart from your love, which is a treasure
beyond description and eternal wealth. Lift up my thoughts from lowly things
and take their desire away from my soul. May the eyes of my mind be blinded
upon seeing any attraction in them, that through your gift of sight I may
vigorously see you only, incomprehensible light, that I may rejoice in
you with overwhelming joy that cannot be taken away. I spent my youth thinking of you
and loving you. Now, may my growing up be to your honor, my aging be blessed
by you, and my death be turned to life by you, that you may be my nurturer
and manager throughout my life. Consider my petitions, loving Lord, listen
to the prayers of my lips, grant me my wishes, do not let me go empty-handed
from your presence. Generous King, in answer to my prayer,
perfectly adorn my unadorned being, that I may never depart from you, that
I may be inundated with every good thing; that my enemies who hate you
may be ashamed for their depravity when they see these things. As for those
who love you, may they be glorified by you, and may I who am without honor
be honored by you. And may I be worthy to honor you with your Only-begotten
Son and your Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages. Amen. Born in Manjar (Artsakh) and educated
at Haghbat, where also he spent the rest of his life as a teacher, the
"Deacon-Vardapet' (ca. 1050-1129) became a distinguished writer and a "Doctor"
of the Church. He has numerous calendrical, theological, and poetic writings.
St. Nersess The Gracefilled
A
Hymnic Prayer to the Suffering Christ Bestower of the universe, who clothed
us with your glorious light, on whom the soldiers spread the crimson mantle
of reproach; remove from me the rags of sin stained with the horrible blood
and clothe me anew with my former robe. They bent the knee mocking you, heavenly
King, they inflicted blows on your crowned head and hit you with the reed,
and so did I stoop down to earth, obeying the will of the evil one. Let
me not become the object of his game but lift me up again. The mob surrounded you physically
following the verdict of the judge, and you received blows on your skull
for the sake of the skull of the first-born man. By virtue of the baptismal
font restore me to health, the one needlessly afflicted from head to toe. In lieu of the sacred and shining
ornament, which you placed on Aaron's head, the tillers of Israel's vineyard
placed a crown of thorns on you. Take away from me the thorn of sin with
which the enemy has inflicted me, and heal the lacerated wound so that
the scars of sin may be eradicated. They gave you the gall to drink,
the vinegar to the thirsty. You drank of it willingly, so that the fruits
of bitterness might become sweet. Take away the bitterness of the venom,
which has been injected in the recesses of my soul, and thus may your love
be sweetened therein. In lieu of the tree that ushered
in death, once planted in paradise, you lifted the wood of the Cross, raising
it on Golgotha. Lift up my soul submerged in sin, O Lifter of the heaviest
burden, as you lifted up the sheep upon your shoulder. Take my soul up
from earth to its promised place. At the third hour on Friday you,
Lord, were nailed to the Cross, loosening the shackles of the first-born
man and binding the enemy. Strengthen me beneath the shadow of your life-giving
Sign and enlighten me with its light from the rising of the sun. The gates of the Edenic paradise
were opened to the blessed thief, his petition being granted according
to his faith. Grant me also, Lord, with him to hear the same response:
"Today you shall be with me in Eden, your first homeland" St. Nersess the Gracefilled was catholicos
of the Armenian Church during the Ciltcian period (116611 73). A hymnographer,
theologian and ecumenist, he is a true hero of the Church. The initial
letters of the stanzas above form an acrostic spelling out the author's
name (b6l, u~ut~ ~). The prayer is taken from the Night Service of the
Armenian Church.
St. Nersess Lambronatsi
A
Prayer to the Only-begotten Son When surrounded with doubts from
every direction, we who are defiled in heart and are in need to listen,
look up to you, O High Priest Jesus, who experienced our weak nature. For our sake you became bearer of
sin that we may become righteous for you. For our sake you became earthly that
we may become heavenly. For our sake you became bread that
we, by partaking of you, may be sanctified. Grant your aggrieved body to be sanctifying
food to all hearts. Pour out the stream of your blood, in sinless drops
for the joy of sinlessness among humankind. Lower the anchor of your Cross-to
us strugglers in the sea of this world and lift us up to you. We fell short of grace, cover us. We retracted from work, forgive us.
We grope in darkness, enlighten us, We have laxed in faith, restore us. You are hope. You are light. You
are life. You are forgiveness itself. You are, indeed, immortality, Those
who have put their trust in you are waiting for your grace. Those who have
joined themselves to your body are longing to obtain redemption from you.
You are their redeemer Priest, who has purchased his flock with his blood. Consider us all. When faced with
uncertainties, comfort us through what you have done for us. Calm our anguish
through your peace. Let us rest from our labors in your mansions, where
you have gone and which, O Lord, you have promised. Make those who are
yours worthy to glorify you there, always, with the Father and the Holy
Spirit. Amen. St. Nersess Lambronats'i (1153-1198)
was of princely descent, the son of Oshin Het'umian, the governor of Tarsus
in Cilicia. At the age of 22 he became Bishop of Tarsus and was actively
engaged in the ecumenical dialogues initiated by St. Nersess the Gracefilled,
his relative and friend. A voluminous author, Lambronats'i is one of the
most distinguished theologians of the Armenian Church,
Hovhannes Garnetsi
A Prayer for Traveling Leader to life, Path to truth, our
Lord Jesus Christ; You led Joseph to Egypt, and the people of Israel through
the Red Sea; and Moses to Mount Sinai, and his people to the land of promise.
And you traveled with Cleopas and his companion to Emmaus. Now, I pray
you, Lord, lead my companions and me to travel in peace on the journey
before us. Save us from the visible and invisible enemy and lead us safely
to the place we are headed. For you are our way and our truth and our life.
Glory and worship to you now and always and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Garni,
the place of Hovhannes' birth, is an ancient town not far from Yerevan,
and from the Monastery known today as "Geghard", where he spent his early
life in solitude and prayer (ca. 1180-1245). Able to heal the sick by the
touch of his hand, he converted Armenians and non-Armenians alike to the
apostolic faith. He probably uttered this prayer during his many travels
throughout Armenia and the Holy Land.
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