| Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church | |
|---|---|
 The church in 2023 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Year consecrated | October 21, 1879 (current church) |
| Location | |
| Location | Oshakan, Aragatsotn, Armenia |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Vahan Amatuni (original church) Catholicos Gevorg IV (current building) |
| Groundbreaking | 443 (original) 1873 (current church) |
| Completed | 1879 (current church) |
Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց եկեղեցի) is an Armenian Apostolic church in Oshakan that contains the grave of Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. It is one of Armenia's better known churches[1] and a pilgrimage site.[6] Pilgrims visit the church on the Feast of the Holy Translators in October.[7]
Mashtots was buried at the site in 440, where a martyrium was built three years later. The current church dates to 1873–79, when an entirely new building was built on the grave of Mashtots, located under the altar. It has been the seat of the Diocese of Aragatsotn since 1996.[8][9]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hushardzanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Stopka, Krzysztof [in Polish] (2016). Armenia Christiana: Armenian Religious Identity and the Churches of Constantinople and Rome (4th–15th Century). Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego. p. 60. ISBN 9788323395553.
For centuries Armenian Christians would come to Oshakan near Yerevan to pay their respects at the graveside of Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian script.
- ^ Emin, Gevorg (April 1972). "Song of Armenia". Soviet Life. 4 (187). Embassy of the USSR in the US: 15.
...the grave of their creator, Mesrop Mashtotz, has become a shrine for Armenian pilgrims from all over the world...
- ^ Acharian 1984, p. 289.
- ^ Teryan 1963, p. 26.
- ^ [2][3][4][5]
- ^ Editorial (2008). "Սրբոց Թարգմանչաց տոնը Օշականում". Etchmiadzin (in Armenian). 64 (10): 132.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hasratyanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Armenian Church Today > Dioceses > Armenia". armenianchurch.org. Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.