Armenian Diocese of Cyprus

Diocese of Cyprus Կիպրոսի Թեմ
Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Nicosia
Location
Country	Cyprus
Statistics
Population - Total	(as of 2010 est.) ~3,500
Information
Denomination	Armenian Apostolic Church
Rite	Armenian Rite
Established	973
Cathedral	Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Nicosia
Current leadership
Patriarch	Aram I
Pontifical vicar	Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian

Armenian Diocese of Cyprus (Armenian: Կիպրոսի հայոց Թեմ Kiprosi Hayots Tem), is one of the oldest dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church outside the historic Armenian territories, covering the Republic of Cyprus. It has been founded during the 12th century and currently has around 3,500 followers, comprising around 95% of the Armenians in Cyprus. The diocese is under the jurisdiction of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Church.

The seat of the diocese is the Holy Mother of God Cathedral of Nicosia. The prelacy building is situated near the cathedral, on 47 Armenia Avenue, Strovolos, Nicosia. Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian is currently the primate vicar of the diocese, serving since March 2017.

History

Main article: Armenian religion in Cyprus

The building of the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus in Strovolos, Nicosia

The Armenian Diocese of Cyprus was established in 973 by Catholicos Khatchig I and ever since it has maintained a continuous presence on the island. In the years that followed, some of its Prelates participated in important church synods, such as Tateos (who participated in the Council of Hromkla in 1179), Nigoghaos (who participated in the Synod of Sis in 1307) and Krikor (who participated in a conference of Greek Orthodox Bishops in Cyprus in 1340). The antiquity of the Armenian Church in Cyprus was confirmed by a bull of Pope Leo X, which was issued in 1519 after multiple discords, according to which the Armenian Prelate would be senior to and take precedence over the Maronite, Jacobite and Coptic Prelates.

Historically, the Prelature has been under the jurisdiction of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, while today it is the oldest theme that falls under its jurisdiction. In the past, for various reasons, it was at times under the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem (1775–1799, 1812–1837, 1848–1861, 1865–1877, 1888–1897, 1898–1908), the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (1799–1812, 1861–1864, 1877–1888, 1897–1898, 1908–1921), even the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin (1864–1865). Cyprus was the place of refuge for two exile Patriarchs of Constantinople, Archbishop Tavit Areveltsi (1644-1648) and Senior Archimandrite Krikor Basmadjian (1773-1775). The current Prelate, a Catholicosal Vicar General, is as of March 2017 Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian. The parish priest in Nicosia is Fr. Momik Habeshian (since 2000), while the parish priest in Larnaca and Limassol is Fr. Mashdots Ashkarian (since 1992).

For centuries, the Prelature building was located within the Armenian compound in Victoria street in walled Nicosia; when that area was taken over by Turkish-Cypriot extremists in 1963–1964, the Prelature was temporarily housed in Aram Ouzounian street (1964–1968) and, later on, in Kyriakos Matsis street in Ayios Dhometios (1968–1984). Thanks to the efforts of Bishop Zareh Aznavorian and with financial aid from the Evangelical Church of Westphalia, the new Prelature building was erected in 1983, next to the Virgin Mary church and the Nareg school in Nicosia, by architects Athos Dikaios & Alkis Dikaios; it was officially inaugurated on 4 March 1984, during the pastoral visit of Catholicos Karekin II. By initiative of Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian, in 1998 the basement of the building was renovated and the “Vahram Utidjian” Hall was formed; previously a store room, it became a reality from the proceeds of the auction in 1994 of the art collection that Vahram Utidjian had donated to the Prelature in 1954. It was inaugurated on 3 February 1999 by Catholicos Aram I; numerous charity, communal and cultural events take place there. The Prelature’s consistory houses a collection of ecclesiastical relics, some of which were previously in the old Virgin Mary church or the Magaravank.

The Armenian Ethnarchy of Cyprus with Catholicos Aram I (2008)

The current Charter of the Prelature, first drafted in 1945 and ratified in 1950, consists of 102 articles and, in its present form, applies as of 3 September 2010. The administration is exercised by the Armenian Ethnarchy (Ազգային Իշխանութիւն) through the Diocesan Council [Թեմական Ժողով (Temagan Joghov), consisting of the Prelate, two priests and twelve elected lay persons - 7 for Nicosia, 3 for Larnaca, 1 for Limassol and 1 for Famagusta] and the Administrative Council [Վարչական Ժողով (Varchagan Joghov), presided by the Prelate and consisting of seven lay persons appointed by the Temagan], currently chaired by Sebouh Tavitian (as of 2007) and John Guevherian (as of 2011), respectively. As of 1998, the elected Representative is ex officio a member of the Diocesan Council. There are also the local parish committees (թաղական հոգաբարձութիւններ, one in Nicosia, one in Larnaca and one in Limassol), the committee for Christian instruction (Քրիստոնէական դաստիարակութեան յանձնախումբ) and the Ladies’ committee (Տիկնանց յանձնախումբ). Under the committee for Christian instruction are the Sunday schools (Կիրակնօրեայ վարժարաններ) and the youth committee (երիտասարդական յանձնախումբ).

According to the Decision of the Council of Ministers 66.589/19–12–2007, the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus receives an annual grant of €59,800 by the Republic of Cyprus; the Republic also pays the salaries of the Prelature's clergy and covers their medical and health care (Decision of the Council of Ministers 48.166/22–07–1998). The same arrangements apply for the Maronite Archbishopric of Cyprus and the Latin Vicariate of Cyprus (the latter, however, receives an annual grant of €51,260).

List of Prelates

Below is the list of Prelates of the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, according to available information. Unfortunately, there are some gaps:

Year	Prelate	Year	Prelate	Year	Prelate	Year	Prelate	Year	Prelate
... 1179 ...	Bishop Tateos	1679	Archimandrite Vartan	1822	Archimandrite Kapriel	1874–1876	Archimandrite Mesrob Ghaltakhdjian	1936–1940	Archimandrite Barouyr Minassian
... 1307 ...	Bishop Nigoghaos	1704–1705	Archimandrite Minas	1827–1833	Archimandrite Haroutiun	1876–1877	Archimandrite Garabed Pakradouni	1940–1946	archpriest Khoren Kouligian
... 1340 ...	Bishop Krikor	1715	Archimandrite Tavit	1837–...	Bishop Hovhannes	1878–1880	archpriest Hovhannes Hunkiarbeyendian	1946–1957	Bishop Ghevont Chebeyan
1421–1425	Bishop Levon	1715–1735	Archimandrite Haroutiun	1842–1843	Patriarch Zakaria Gopetsi	1880–1881	Archimandrite Zakaria Yeghissian	1957–1958	archpriest Khoren Kouligian
1446–1467	Bishop Sarkis	1718	Archimandrite Tateos	1844	Archimandrite Tateos	1881–1883	Archimandrite Movses Geomrukdjian	1958–1967	Senior Archimandrite Yervant Apelian
1504–1515	Bishop Tavit	1736	Archimandrite Mardiros	1846–1848	Archbishop Hovhannes	1884	priest Hovhannes Papazian	1967–1968	priest Vazken Sandrouni
1553–1567	Bishop Ghougas	1744–1745	Bishop Tavit	1848	Bishop Hovhannes Yetessian	1885–1889	priest Hovhannes Shahinian	1968–1973	Senior Archimandrite Arsen Avedikian
1567	Bishop Hovhannes	1751–1753	Archimandrite Hovsep	1851	Archimandrite Kevork	1889–1896	Archimandrite Khoren Portoukalian	1974–1977	Bishop Nerses Pakhdigian
1568	Bishop Hovhannes	1773–1775	Senior Archimandrite Krikor Basmadjian	1854	Bishop Hovhannes Mamigonian	1896–1897	priest Ghevont Der Nahabedian	1977–1983	Bishop Zareh Aznavorian
1581	hieromonk Sdepanos	1779	Bishop Mardiros	1856	Bishop Apraham Bulbul	1897–1899	priest Hovhannes Shahinian	1983–1997	Senior Archimandrite Yeghishe Mandjikian
1618	monk Vartan	1783–1789	Bishop Hagop	1857–1859	Archimandrite Boghos	1899–1905	Archimandrite Bedros Saradjian	1997–2014	Archbishop Varoujan Hergelian
1642	Archimandrite Mesrob	1799–1812	Archbishop Hovhannes	1859–1861	Archimandrite Atanas	1906–1909	Archimandrite Yeremia Liforian	2014-2017	Archbishop Nareg Alemezian
1644-1647	Archbishop Tavit	1812	Archimandrite Bedros	...–1865	Archimandrite Tateos Yeretsian	1910–1912	priest Ghevont Der Nahabedian	2017-	Archbishop Khoren Doghramadjian
1665	Abbot Sahag	1814	Archimandrite Sdepanos	1865–1867	Archimandrite Ghougas Khanigian	1912–1917	priest Sahag Minassian
1668	Archimandrite Hovhannes	1816	Archimandrite Teotoros	1870–1872	Archimandrite Vartan Mamigonian	1918–1919	Senior Archimandrite Yervant Perdahdjian
1670	Bishop Melidon	1817–1819	Bishop Tionesios Garabedian	1872–1873	Archimandrite Movses Geomrukdjian	1920	Archbishop Taniel Hagopian
1675–1695	Archimandrite Sarkis	1821	Archimandrite Sdepanos	1873–1874	Archimandrite Maghakia Derounian	1921–1936	Archbishop Bedros Saradjian

See also

• Armenian religion in Cyprus
• Armenians in Cyprus
• Armenian education in Cyprus