The Armenian Apostolic Church[a] (Armenian: , Hay

Aakelakan Yekeetsi)[b] is the world's oldest national church.[2][3][4][5] It is part of Oriental

Orthodoxy and is one of the most ancient Christian communities.[6] Armenia was the first
country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the early fourth century (traditionally in
301) in establishing this church.[7] The church claims to have originated in the missions of
Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus in the 1st century and is an early center of Christianity.
It is sometimes referred to as the Gregorian Church but this name is not preferred by the
church itself, as it views the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus as its founders, and St.
Gregory the Illuminator as merely the first official governor of the church.

Contents

1 History
o 1.1 Origins
o 1.2 Independence

2 Miaphysitism versus monophysitism

3 Structure and leadership

o 3.1 Seminaries
o 3.2 Structure
o 3.3 Two Catholicosates

3.3.1 Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

3.3.2 Great House of Cilicia

3.3.3 Reasons for the division

o 3.4 Two Patriarchates: Constantinople and Jerusalem

4 Comparison to other churches

5 Women in the Armenian Church

6 Armenian genocide victims canonization

7 Current state
o 7.1 In the Republic of Armenia

o 7.2 In Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)

o 7.3 Armenian diaspora

8 Historical role and public image

9 Controversies and criticisms

10 See also

11 Notes

12 References
o 12.1 Citations
o 12.2 Bibliography

13 External links
o 13.1 Armenian Religious Relations and the Roman Catholic Church

History
Origins

Baptism of Tiridates III.

The Armenian Church claims apostolic succession through the apostles Bartholomew and
Thaddeus.[8][9][10] According to legend, the latter of the two apostles is said to have cured
Abgar V of Edessa of leprosy with the Image of Edessa, leading to his conversion in 30 AD.
This would imply a conversion before the death of Jesus. Thaddaeus was then commissioned

by Abgar to proselytize throughout Armenia, where he converted the king Sanatruk's

daughter, who was eventually martyred alongside T