Armenian Church commemorates St. Sahak and Hamazasp Artsrounie

Today, on October 3, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates St. Sahak and Hamazasp Artsrounie.

St. Sahak and St. Hamazasp were from the Artsrounie noble dynasty and ruled in Vaspourakan region of Armenia in the period when the Arabic authorities had escalated persecutions against Christians. In 785 A.D., a new governor is appointed in Armenia. The princes and their youngest brother, Meroujan, pay a due visit to the newly appointed governor.

Blaming them in rebellion, the governor imprisons the princes and threatening them with tortures, demands to give up any relations with the Greeks and the Christian faith. Being afraid of tortures, Meroujan adopts the Muslim faith. However, on his way back to homeland he is beheaded by Davit Mamikonian, the locum tenens of Hamazasp, as a betrayer. Meanwhile, Sahak and Hamazasp endure the tortures for the sake of Christ’s faith with prayers and silently. Executioners behead first the younger brother Sahak and then Hamazasp, and burn their remains.