Araratian Week Celebrated at Pembroke College, Oxford, with the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin

Oxford, 7 June 2026 — The annual celebration of Araratian Week was solemnly marked at Pembroke College, Oxford, with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin, gathering Armenian students, faithful of the Armenian community, scholars, and friends of Armenia in prayer and fellowship.

The service was presided over by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland, who delivered a sermon reflecting on the spiritual meaning of Araratian Week, the enduring witness of the Armenian Church, and the vocation of Christian students and scholars in the modern world.

In his address, Bishop Hovakim spoke of the profound significance of celebrating the feast within one of the world’s historic centres of learning, noting the inseparable connection between faith, wisdom, and education within the Armenian Christian tradition.

Recalling the words of the Prophet Zechariah — “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” — the Bishop reflected upon the survival and spiritual resilience of the Armenian people throughout centuries of persecution, exile, genocide, and war. He emphasised that the endurance of the Armenian Church has never depended upon political strength or earthly power, but upon the steadfast faith preserved in the hearts of the faithful.

The sermon also reflected on the spiritual symbolism of Mount Ararat, recalling the passage from the Book of Genesis in which Noah’s Ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. Bishop Hovakim described Ararat as a sacred sign of hope, renewal, and God’s abiding presence after suffering and darkness.

Speaking particularly to the Armenian students gathered in Oxford, the Bishop encouraged them to remain faithful to their Christian and Armenian identity while pursuing academic and professional excellence. He reminded them that, within the Armenian tradition, learning has always been understood not merely as a path toward personal success, but as a vocation directed toward wisdom, truth, and service.

Reflecting on the mystery of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Bishop recalled the vision granted to St. Gregory the Illuminator, in which Christ descended from heaven and indicated the place where the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian Church was to be built. He noted that Holy Etchmiadzin became not only the spiritual centre of the Armenian people, but also a centre of theological learning, manuscript preservation, and Christian culture.

Special appreciation was expressed to Pembroke College for its hospitality, to the choir for beautifying the Divine Liturgy through Armenian sacred hymnody, and to the Armenian Studies programme at the University of Oxford, including the Calouste Gulbenkian Professorship of Armenian Studies, for its continuing contribution to the preservation and study of Armenian language, theology, history, and culture.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a special Pontifical Blessing Service was offered in honour of the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin, reflecting the patriarchal and spiritual significance of the day within the life of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The faithful gathered in prayer to receive blessings for the Armenian Church, the homeland, students, and the Armenian people throughout the world.

The celebration concluded with prayers for peace, spiritual renewal, and the strengthening of Christian witness among all peoples.

Araratian Week commemorates the conversion of Armenia to Christianity through the ministry of St. Gregory the Illuminator and celebrates the founding of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Mother Cathedral and spiritual heart of the Armenian Apostolic Church.