Armenian Church commemorates Sts. Pontiffs Metropanos, Alexandros and Paul the Confessor, and the Scribes Markianos and Martyron

Today, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Sts. Pontiffs Metropanos, Alexandros and Paul the Confessor, and the Scribes Markianos and Martyron.

The Pontiff Metropanos (Metrophanes) was the junior son of the King Probios. He has been ordained by the Bishop Titos of Byzantium and has succeeded him in his office. Bishop Metropanos was known for his deep faith and good reputation, and he was able to influence even King Kostandianos the Great to decide that the site of the new capital city to be built should be in the place of Byzantine. He was appointed by the same king to be the first Bishop of Constantinople. Because of his old age, the Pontiff Metropanos has not participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, sending instead of him Alexander, who later succeeded him. He passed away in 236 AD.

The Pontiff Alexandros (Alexander) has succeeded the Pontiff Metropanos. According to the tradition, he has been ordained by the Pontiffs participating in the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea when they arrived to Nicaea to attend the previous Pontiff’s burial ceremony. St. Alexandros has participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Christ’s Church. He has been a generous, eloquently speaking, fair, and pious pontiff who has always struggled against Arianism and the heathen philosophers. According to the Church tradition, it is thanks to his prayers and the prayers of the Pontiff St. James of Nisibis that Arius has died. The Pontiff Alexandros passed away in 326 AD. (According to some sources – in 327 AD.)

The Pontiff St. Paul the Confessor was born in Selanik. He was a pious man and very well knew the Holy Bible. He has succeeded the Pontiff Alexander of Constantinople. For his strict attitude against Arians, St. Paul has been exiled by the King Kostantdianos to Pontos. He returns to Constantinople in 338 AD. But it was fated that the Pontiff should be exiled three more times. For the last time, the Pontiff Paul has been exiled to the town of Kokison (Armenia), where he has been martyred by the Arians, who strangled him during the Divine Liturgy in 350 AD.

Markianos (Marcian) and Martiron (Martyrius) were senior scribes who served in the Patriarchate of Constantinople and assisted the Pontiff Paul the Confessor, who was the Patriarch during that period. When they become aware of the Pontiff’s being strangled, they spread among the people the fact that the reason for the Pontiff Paul’s death are the Arians. For making them to keep silent, the Arian Eparkos living in Constantinople ordered to behead the scribes in about 350 AD.