The Annunciation

The Annunciation

The Annunciation commemorates the tidings which the Angel Gabriel brought to Mary. It is part of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy and plan, and the most important event in Mary’s life. The Annunciation is observed in the Armenian Church on April 7.

According to the teachings of the Armenian Church, at the time of the Annunciation, when the Holy Spirit entered Mary, she was cleansed of all original sin, as she was to be the vessel in which God manifest was to be incarnated.

“Do not be afraid, Mary,” the Angel Gabriel said, as he appeared before the young woman, “for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:30-33).

Read the entire Gospel story of the Annunciation at Luke 1:26-38.

Above: Detail from “The Annunciation,” an illumination in a 13th-century Armenian Gospel, painted by an artist in the style of Toros Roslin.