The Eastern Diocese’s “Pilgrimage to Akhtamar: Retracing Our Armenian Roots” reached its spiritual high point this week, when Diocesan Primate Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the 10th-century Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Akhtamar Island.
Bishop Mesrop, accompanied by Fr. Mardiros Chevian, Fr. Armash Bagdasarian, and some 80 pilgrims from across the Eastern Diocese, began the journey in Istanbul before traveling eastward into the historic Armenian homeland.
Their first stops included Erzurum and Kars, where the group visited the medieval Armenian Church of the Holy Apostles. From there, they traveled to Ani, the magnificent former capital of the Bagratuni Armenian kingdom, once renowned as the “City of 1,001 Churches.” Walking among Ani’s cathedral, churches, city walls, and other ruins offered the pilgrims a vivid encounter with a place where Armenian Christian faith and culture flourished a millennium ago.
The journey continued past Mount Ararat and onward to Van, with visits to the ancient fortress of Tushpa and the thousand-year-old ruins of Varagavank, traditionally associated with a relic of the True Cross.
Carried by the Cross
On Sunday, the pilgrims crossed Lake Van to Akhtamar Island. There, with the blessing and presence of Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak II, Bishop Mesrop celebrated badarak, assisted by Fr. Armash, within the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
Reflecting on the experience, Bishop Mesrop said: “We call ourselves a khachagir people, a people who carry the Cross. Yet standing at Akhtamar, I understood something deeper: through the centuries, the Cross has also carried us. When our ancestors had no words left, they carved a cross into stone. It became their prayer and their declaration that suffering would never have the final word.”
For the pilgrims, the ancient sanctuary was no longer simply a monument to Armenian history. Once again, its walls resounded with the prayers and hymns of the Armenian Church—an extraordinary moment in a journey devoted to encountering Armenian history on the very ground where generations lived, built, worshiped, and handed down their faith.
The pilgrimage continues through Mush, Dikranagert, Aintab, Cilicia, Musa Dagh, and other historic centers of Armenian life before returning to Bolis.
Click the following link to view daily photo galleries. And follow the pilgrims’ journey in word, image, and video on the Eastern Diocese’s Facebook and Instagram platforms.
Also, Bishop Mesrop has been writing a daily diary of his spiritual journey on his iLooys platform. Click here to read his thoughts and reflections.
Above: Bishop Mesrop with pilgrims from the Eastern Diocese at the restored St. Giragos Church in Dikranagert.
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