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Do not fill this in! ===Religion=== {{See also|Religion in Armenia}} [[File:Kohrvirab.jpg|thumb|The 7th-century [[Khor Virap]] monastery in the shadow of [[Mount Ararat]], the peak on which [[Noah's Ark]], is said to have landed during the [[Genesis flood narrative|biblical flood]].]] [[File:PortalEchmiazin1.jpg|thumb|upright|Portal to the ''Holy City'' at Echmiazin, the seat of the Catholicos]] Armenia was the first nation to adopt [[Christianity]] as a [[state religion]], an event traditionally dated to AD 301.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/neareast/f/1stchristian.htm |title=Armenia – Which Nation First Adopted Christianity? |publisher=Ancienthistory.about.com |date=29 October 2009 |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918080327/http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/neareast/f/1stchristian.htm |archive-date=18 September 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visitarmenia.org/ |title=Visit Armenia, It is Beautiful |publisher=Visitarmenia.org |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328005031/http://www.visitarmenia.org/ |archive-date=28 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.welcomearmenia.com/main.php?page=armeniainformation&sid=104&lang=eng |title=Armenia Information – Welcome to Armenia |publisher=Welcomearmenia.com |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206222352/http://www.welcomearmenia.com/main.php?page=armeniainformation&sid=104&lang=eng |archive-date=6 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The predominant [[religion in Armenia]] is Christianity. Its roots go back to the 1st century AD, when it was founded by two of Jesus' twelve [[Twelve Apostles|apostles]] – [[Jude the Apostle|Thaddaeus]] and [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]] – who preached Christianity in Armenia between AD 40–60. Over 93% of Christians in Armenia belong to the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]],<ref name=census1>{{cite web|title=Armenian Census 2011|url=http://armstat.am/file/article/sv_03_13a_520.pdf|access-date=25 October 2015|page=7|language=hy}}</ref><ref name=CI1A>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/armenia/|title=CIA – The World Factbook – Armenia |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=8 August 2020}}</ref> which is in communion only with the churches comprising [[Oriental Orthodoxy#Oriental Orthodox Communion|Oriental Orthodoxy]]—of which it is itself a member. The [[Catholic Church]] maintains jurisdictions of both the [[Latin Church]] and [[Armenian Catholic Church]] in Armenia. Of note are the [[Mechitarists]] (also spelled "Mekhitarists" {{lang-hy|Մխիթարեան}}), a congregation of [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictine]] monks in the Armenian Catholic Church, founded in 1712 by [[Mekhitar of Sebaste]]. They are best known for their series of scholarly publications of ancient [[Armenians|Armenian]] versions of otherwise lost ancient Greek texts. The [[Armenian Evangelical Church]] has several thousand members throughout the country. Other Christian denominations in Armenia are the Pentecostal branches of Protestant community such as the Word of Life, the [[Armenian Brotherhood Church]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://abcy.org/ |title=Armenian Brotherhood Church of Yerevan |access-date=31 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331181252/http://abcy.org/ |archive-date=31 March 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> the [[Baptists]] (which are known as one of the oldest existing denominations in Armenia, and were permitted by the authorities of the Soviet Union),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://armbaplife.am/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825192643/http://www.armbaplife.am/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 August 2007 |title=Armenian Evangelical Christian Baptist |publisher=Armbaplife.am |access-date=28 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://goodnewsadvertising.com/biblical_recorder.pdf |title=Despite poverty, Baptists prosper in Armenia |work=[[Biblical Recorder]] |publisher=Baptist State convention of North Carolina |date=17 July 2004 |access-date=28 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119232701/http://www.goodnewsadvertising.com/biblical_recorder.pdf |archive-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> and [[Presbyterians]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79125406.html |title=Armenian Presbyterian Church to Commemorate 1700th Anniversary of Christianity in Armenia with Concert and Khachkar Dedication |work=The Armenian Reporter |date=20 October 2001 |access-date=21 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510012451/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79125406.html |archive-date=10 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Armenia is also home to a [[Russians in Armenia|Russian]] community of [[Molokan]]s which practice a form of Spiritual Christianity originated from the Russian Orthodox Church.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lane|first1=Christel|title=Christian religion in the Soviet Union: a sociological study|date=1978|publisher=State univ. of New York P.|location=Albany|isbn=978-0-87395-327-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/christianreligio0000lane_y2b9/page/107 107]|url=https://archive.org/details/christianreligio0000lane_y2b9|url-access=registration|access-date=27 August 2015}}</ref> The Yazidis, who live in the western part of the country, practice [[Yazidism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minorities-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-ethnic-minorities-of-Armenia.pdf|title=The Ethnic Minorities of Armenia|date=2002|location=Yerevan}}</ref> The world's largest Yazidi temple, [[Quba Mêrê Dîwanê]], was completed in 2019<ref name="Al Jazeera">{{cite news |last= Bardi|first=Ariel Sophia|date=11 November 2019|title=Inside the world's biggest Yazidi temple in Armenia|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2019/11/11/inside-the-worlds-biggest-yazidi-temple-in-armenia| newspaper=Al Jazeera}}</ref> in the village of [[Aknalich]].<ref name="Guardian"/> There is a [[History of the Jews in Armenia|Jewish community in Armenia]] of approximately 750 people since independence with most emigrants leaving for Israel. There are currently two synagogues in Armenia – one in the capital, Yerevan, and the other in the city of [[Sevan (city)|Sevan]] located near [[Lake Sevan]]. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page