Komitas I Aghtsetsi ( hy, Կոմիտաս Ա Աղցեցի) or Komitas I of Aghdznik was a

Catholicos of Armenia The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arm ...

and Supreme

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

as well as the bishop of Taron from 615 until his death in 628. He is known also as Komitas Shinogh, "The Builder" — an allusion to his significant patronage of building and restoration work He was instrumental in the realization of several architectural projects, among which were the complete renovation of the Cathedral at the Holy See of

Etchmiadzin Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...

; the construction of the Church of St. Hripsime, which stands to this day on the site of an earlier edifice; and the building of the Church of St. Gregory in

Dvin Dvin may refer to: *Dvin (ancient city), an ancient city and one of the historic capitals of Armenia *Dvin, Armenia, a modern village in Armenia named after the nearby ancient city of Dvin *Verin Dvin, a village in the Ararat Province of Armenia *FC ...

. Komitas was also the editor of the collection of Armenian translations of patristic texts (including extracts from lost texts, e.g. Timothy Aelurus) known as the ''Seal of the Faith''. A devout Catholic, he was never far away from disputes regarding the faith. He was a vociferous participant in doctrinal disputes. He sided with the orthodox school of thought of the Armenian Church during the Council of Ctesiphon (615–616). The Council concluded with the acceptance of

Monophysitism Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...

; the

Chalcedonian Chalcedonian Christianity is the branch of Christianity that accepts and upholds theological and ecclesiological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Chalcedonian Christianity accepts the Christolo ...

and Nestorian doctrines were renounced. A poet and musician, Komitas I contributed to the hymnography of the Armenian Church. His sharakan "Andzink Nviryalk", ('Devoted Souls') earned him a special place in the Armenian Church hymn-book or Sharaknots.Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom & Ireland: Liturgy of Hours
/ref> This hymn, noted for its poetic and lyric beauty, was composed to commemorate the completion of the rebuilding of the Church of St Hripsime. It is claimed to be the first Armenian hymn in praise of a post-biblical saint, based on the account of St Hripsime and her companions related in the

History of Armenia The history of Armenia covers the topics related to the history of the Armenia, Republic of Armenia, as well as the Armenians, Armenian people, the Armenian language, and the regions historically and Armenian Highlands, geographically consid ...

composed by the fifth-century father of Armenian historiography,

Agathangelos Agathangelos (in xcl, Ագաթանգեղոս Agatʿangełos, in Greek "bearer of good news" or angel, 5th century AD ) is the pseudonym of the author of a life of the first apostle of Armenia, Gregory the Illuminator, who died about 332. He ...

References

* Catholicos Komitas, Le sceau de la foi, Etchmiazin, 1914 (reimpression, Lisbon, 1974). {{DEFAULTSORT:Aghtsetsi, Komitas Year of birth missing 628 deaths 7th-century Armenian poets Armenian musicians Catholicoi of Armenia Christian hymnwriters 7th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops Armenian male poets Armenian hymnwriters