Catholicosate of Aghtamar ( hy, Աղթամարի կաթողիկոսութիւն, ''Aġt’amari kat’oġikosut’iun'') was an independent see of the Armenian Apostolic Church that existed for almost eight centuries, from 1113 to 1895 and was based in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on the

Aghtamar Island Akdamar Island ( tr, Akdamar Adası, ku, Girava Axtamarê), also known as Aghtamar ( hy, Աղթամար, translit=Aġt’amar) or Akhtamar ( hy, Ախթամար, translit=Axt’amar), is the second largest of the four islands in Lake Van, in east ...

(Turkish: Akdamar) near

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

, in present-day Turkey. The catholicosate was established by Archbishop Davit, who was related to the Artsrunis, the ruling dynasty of the independent Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan. Davit reasoned Catholicos Grigor III Pahlavuni's young age for the division. Archbishops related to the Artsruni family succeeded each other as Catholicos of Aghtamar until 1272, when the Sefedinian family took it over until the 16th century. Subsequently, the Catholicosate came under direct jurisdiction of the

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin ( hy, Մայր Աթոռ Սուրբ Էջմիածին, translit=Mayr At’oř Surb Ēĵmiatsin), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armen ...

. By the late 19th century, the Catholicosate of Aghtamar ruled over the southern shores of

Lake Van Lake Van ( tr, Van Gölü; hy, Վանա լիճ, translit=Vana lič̣; ku, Gola Wanê) is the largest lake in Turkey. It lies in the far east of Turkey, in the provinces of Van and Bitlis in the Armenian highlands. It is a saline soda lake ...

: Shatakh, Khizan, etc. The catholicosate was largely discredited and dissolved in 1895, amid the

Hamidian massacres The Hamidian massacres also called the Armenian massacres, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-1890s. Estimated casualties ranged from 100,000 to 300,000, Akçam, Taner (2006) '' A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide an ...

due to disputes with Etchmiadzin and corruption. The two dioceses that formed the catholicosate were transformed to the jurisdiction of the

Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople ( tr, İstanbul Ermeni Patrikhanesi; Western hy, Պատրիարքութիւն Հայոց Կոստանդնուպոլսոյ, ''Badriark'ut'iun Hayots' Gosdantnubolsoy'') is an autonomous See. The seat of ...

. The catholicoaste remained vacant until the Armenian genocide and was formally abolished by the Turkish government in 1916.

List of Catholicoi of Aghtamar

(List according to N. Akinyan. Armenian equivalent in parenthesis) * Davit I (Դավիթ Ա) (1113 – c. 1165) * Stepanos I Aluz (Ստեփանոս Ա Ալուզ) (c. 1165 – c. 1185/90) * ''Unnamed'' (c. 1185/90 - ????) * Stepanos II Nkaren (Ստեփանոս Բ Նկարեն) (mentioned 1223 – died 1272) * Stepanios III Tegha Sefitinyan (Ստեփանոս Գ Տղա Սեֆեդինյան) (1272 – c. 1296) * Zacharia I Sefitinyan (Զաքարիա Ա Սեֆեդինյան) (1296 – 1336) * Stepanos III Sefitinyan (Ստեփանոս Գ) (mentioned 1340 – died 1346) * Davit II (Դավիթ Բ) (1346 – c. 1368) ** Nerses Bolat as concurrent catholicos (Ներսես Բոլատ (1316, 1324, 1371) * Zacharia II Nahatak (Martyr) (Զաքարիա Բ Նահատակ) (1369 – 1393) * Davit III (Դավիթ Գ) (1393 – 1433) * Zacharia III (Զաքարիա Գ) (1434 – 1464) * Stepanos IV Tegha (Ստեփանոս Դ Տղա) (1465 – 1489) * Zacharia IV (Զաքարիա Դ) (1489 – c. 1496) * Atom (Ատոմ) (mentioned 1496, 1497, 1499, 1507) * Hovhannes (Հովհաննես) (mentioned 1512) * Grigoris I Metz (Senior) (Գրիգորիս Ա Աղթամարցի (Մեծ)) (c. 1512 – c. 1544) * Grigoris II Sefitinyan Pokr (Junior) (Գրիգորիս Բ Սեֆեդինյան, Աղթամարցի (Փոքր)) (c. 1544 – c. 1586) * Grigoris III Pokr (Junior) (Գրիգորիս Գ Փոքր) (mentioned 1595, 1602, 1604, 1605) * Martiros Mokatsi or Martiros Gurji Peshruk (Մարտիրոս Մոկացի or Մարտիրոս Գուրջի Փշրուկ) (1660 – 1662) * Petros I (Պետրոս Ա) (died 1670) * Stepanos IV (Ստեփանոս Դ) (mentioned 1671) * Philibbos I (Փիլիպպոս Ա) (mentioned 1671) * Karapet I (Կարապետ Ա) (mentioned 1677) * Hovhannes II Tutunji (Հովհաննես Բ Թութունջի) (mentioned 1679) * Thovma I (Թովմա Ա) (1681 – 1698) **Avetis anti-catholicos (Ավետիս հակաթոռ կաթողիկոս) (mentioned 1698) * Sahak I Artsketsi (Սահակ Ա Արծկեցի) (mentioned 1698) * Hovhannes III Ketsuk) (Հովհաննես Գ Կեծուկ (mentioned 1699 – 1704) * Hayrapet I Paykhetsi (Հայրապետ Ա Փայխեցի) (mentioned 1706) * Grigor IV Gavashetsi (Գրիգոր Դ Գավաշեցի) (mentioned 1707, 1711) * Hovhannes IV Hayotstsoretsi (Հովհաննես Դ Հայոցձորեցի (mentioned 1720) * Grigor V Hizantsi (Գրիգոր Ե Հիզանցի) (mentioned 1725) * Paghtasar I Paghishetsi (Բաղդասար Ա Բաղիշեցի) (mentioned 1735 – 1736) * Nigoghayos I Spatakertsi (Նիկողայոս Ա Սպարկերտցի) (1736 – 1751) * Grigor V (Գրիգոր Ե) (c. 1751 – 1761) * Thovma II Aghtamartsi (Թովմա Բ Աղթամարցի) (c. 1761 – 1783) * Karapet II Ghremfasments (Կարապետ Բ Ղռըմֆասմենց (1783 – 1787) * Marcos I Shatakhetsi (Մարկոս Ա Շատախեցի) (1788 – 1791) * Theodoros I (Թեոդորոս Ա) (mentioned 1792 – 1794) * Michael I (Միքայել Ա) (mentioned 1796) * Karapet II (Կարապետ Բ) (died c. 1813) * Khachatur I Vanetsi (Խաչատուր Ա Վանեցի) (1813 – 1814) * Karapet III (Կարապետ Գ) (died c. 1823) * Harutiun I (Հարություն Ա) (died c. 1823) * Hovhannes V Shatakhetsi) (Հովհաննես Ե Շատախեցի) (1823 – 1843) * Khachatur II Mokatsi (Խաչատուր Բ Մոկացի) (c. 1844 – 1851) * Gabriel I Shiroyan (Գաբրիել Ա Շիրոյան) (1851 – 1857) * Petros II Byulyul (Պետրոս Բ Բյուլյուլ) (1858 – 1864) * Khacatur III Shiroyan (Խաչատուր Գ Շիրոյան) (1864 – 1895)

References

{{Reflist 1113 establishments in Asia 1895 disestablishments in the Ottoman Empire

Aghtamar Akdamar Island ( tr, Akdamar Adası, ku, Girava Axtamarê), also known as Aghtamar ( hy, Աղթամար, translit=Aġt’amar) or Akhtamar ( hy, Ախթամար, translit=Axt’amar), is the second largest of the four islands in Lake Van, in east ...