On Sunday, September 27, Armenian Churches worldwide will
celebrate the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak—an observance unique to the
Armenian Church. In the 7th century, a monk named Totig received a vision
of a brilliant cross descending from Mount Varak (in historic Armenia) and
coming to rest on the monastery at the mountain’s foot. Totig raced to where
the vision had led him, and there found a miraculous Christian relic: a
fragment of the True Cross of Jesus Christ!
A small church and cross carved on the wall at Hovanavank
Monastery in Armenia.
How had it gotten there? The relic had been brought to
Armenia by St. Hripsime, in the late 3rd century, during her flight to find
refuge from the persecutions of pagan Rome. When St. Hripsime was martyred by
King Drtad, the hiding place of the cross was forgotten—and the holy relic had
languished in its secret place for nearly 300 years, before being found again by
the monk Totig.
To commemorate this discovery, the catholicos of the
time, St. Nersess the Builder, established a feast day. And the Holy Cross
became a relic of great power in Armenia, moving from Varak to Sepastia and
finally to Van, where it still could be seen by pilgrims—until the time of the
Genocide.
Click here to read a meditation on the meaning of the
Season of the Holy Cross. http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/feasts/the-holy-cross/blog-feature
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder
Not: Yalnızca bu blogun üyesi yorum gönderebilir.