Aristaces Azaria, M.O.M.V. (b. at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

, 18 July 1782; d. at

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, 6 May 1854), was an

Armenian Catholic Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

and

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Life

Azaria was sent at the age of fifteen to the Collegio Urbano of Propaganda Fidei in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, but his studies were interrupted in 1798 by the invasion of Italy by the

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipment ...

. He fled Rome and took refuge at the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of the Armenian

Mechitarist The Mechitarists officialy named as the Benedictine Congregation of the Mechitarists ( la, Benedictina Congregatio Mechitarista) abbreviated CAM is an Armenian Catholic Church Monasticism, monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded in 1701 ...

s of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, and entered their Order in 1801. In the same year he was ordained a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

. The authorities of the short-lived

Kingdom of Illyria The Kingdom of Illyria was a crown land of the Austrian Empire from 1816 to 1849, the successor state of the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces, which were reconquered by Austria in the War of the Sixth Coalition. It was established according to th ...

, set up as a client state of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

, confiscated the property of his

in 1810. After futile attempts to obtain restitution, the monks moved to Austria and established the

Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna The Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna (german: Wiener Mechitaristenkloster; hy, Վիեննայի Մխիթարեան վանք, ''Viennayi Mkhit′arean vank′'') is one of the two monasteries of the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist (Mechitharist) Con ...

. There they lived by the instruction of Armenian youth and the revenue from a printing press they set up to provide

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

and scholarly books in the Armenian language. Azaria was henceforth active as a missionary among his compatriots and a servant of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. In 1826 he was made Abbot General of the Order, and in 1827 he was named the

Titular Archbishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

Caesarea Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...

. Under him the Mechitarist community in Vienna prospered, its library was increased, a bookstore added to the printing press, and an abundant religious literature created, in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

and in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. Azaria opened houses of his community in Rome, Triest, and Stamboul, founded the Armenian journal ''Europa'', established an academy for the literary and political improvement of his people, and in 1830 obtained from the

the creation of an independent Catholic Armenian

patriarchate Patriarchate ( grc, πατριαρχεῖον, ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, designating the office and jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch. According to Christian tradition three patriarchates were esta ...

. After a visit to Rome (1850) in the interest of monastic reform, he returned to Vienna (1852) where he died after the celebration of his

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...

Works

Azaria wrote several works, among them ''De Vitâ Communi Perfecta Religiosorum Utriusque Sexus'', in which he criticizes the condition of many Austrian religious houses, and ''Die Erziehung im Geiste des Christenthumes'' (Vienna, 1839).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Azaria, Aristaces 1782 births 1854 deaths Clergy from Istanbul Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Mekhitarists Superiors general Eastern Catholic titular bishops Archbishops of the Armenian Catholic Church 19th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Armenian abbots Armenian expatriates in Austria Armenian expatriates in Italy