InternationalThe Hripsimian Virgins
Heroic women at the root of Armenia’s conversion to Christianity
Published: Saturday October 25, 2008
Inside the St. Hripsime Church. Photolure
It's easy to get "churched out" in Armenia. After a few days of touring the country's monasteries, it can start to seem like once you've seen one, you've seen them all. But to fully appreciate the value of our religious monuments, we have to know the stories behind them, not just their dates and architectural features. The stories are what set them apart and bring their ancient walls to life.
Most visitors to Armenia's Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin will spend time at the main cathedral, and maybe check out one or two of "the other churches." But these are wonders in themselves. Their stories can be traced back over 1,700 years, to the arrival of the Hripsimian Virgins in Armenia.
The Hripsimians were an order of nuns who lived as hermits in a Roman monastery in the late 3rd century. According to legend, the Roman emperor Diocletian saw a painting of one of the nuns, Hripsime - who was renowned for her beauty - and fell desperately in love with her, vowing to make her his wife. But staying faithful to her own vow, that of chastity, Hripsime refused the emperor's proposal. To escape his wrath, Gayane, the mother superior, led Hripsime and the 37 Hripsimian Virgins out of Rome. They headed east, as many persecuted Christians did during that time, and eventually ended up in Vagharshapat (present-day Etchmiadzin).
Like Diocletian, the Armenian king, Trdat III, fell for Hripsime's beauty and demanded to have her as his concubine. She quickly declined and the king pressured Gayane to persuade her to marry him. But Gayane told Hripsime to stand firm in her faith. Enraged, King Trdat had all of the Hripsimian Virgins cruelly tortured and subsequently sentenced them to death.
The martyrdom of the Hripsimian Virgins took place when St. Gregory the Illuminator was still in Khor Virap, the deep pit where he was sentenced to die for his faith. The guilt that came with the slaughter of the innocent women and his frustration at being rejected threw King Trdat into despair and eventually drove him insane. Later, in the 5th century, people began calling the king's ailment ‘"pig's illness," which is why artists have often portrayed Trdat III with a pig's head.
The king's sister, the kind Queen Khosrovidukht, had a dream in which St. Gregory came out of Khor Virap after being imprisoned there for 13 years and healed her brother. When it was revealed that St. Gregory was in fact still alive, he was promptly released and received the queen's request to heal Trdat. After St. Gregory did so, the king, out of awe and gratitude, proclaimed Christianity the state religion of Armenia, in 301. One of St. Gregory's first acts upon his release was to gather the relics of the Hripsimian Virgins, give them proper burials, and build martyries (shrines erected in honor of martyrs) on their sites.
Etchmiadzin's St. Gayane, St. Hripsime, and Shoghakat churches are built on the foundations of the martyries of these courageous women of faith.
St. Hripsime Church
Founded in 618, St. Hripsime Church overlooks the eastern part of the town. The church was built on the site of St. Hripsime's martyry, whose burial room remains intact to this day. St. Hripsime is considered one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia and is known for its fine classical Armenian architecture, which has influenced many other Armenian churches. From an aesthetic perspective, it is one of the most beautifully proportioned, designed, and constructed churches in all of Armenia.
St. Gayane Church
Situated a few hundreds yards southeast of the main cathedral, St. Gayane Church was constructed in 630. Its cross-shaped design remains unchanged despite partial enlargement and renovations of the dome and ceilings in the 17th century. St. Gayane's relic is kept in the crypt underneath the church - the only surviving part of the martyry founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator.
Shoghakat Church
Shoghakat (Flood of Light), named after a vision which St. Gregory had and inspired the building of the main cathedral, is the fourth and newest church of the Echmiadzin complex. Built in 1691 by Prince Aghamal Shororetsi, Shoghakat is found at some distance northwest of St. Hripsime. Since it is not known which Hripsimian nun's martyry lies beneath Shoghakat, the church is regarded as a tribute to all the unknown martyrs of the turbulent early years of Christianity in Armenia.
