During the days of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Patriarchate’s Armash Library published the historical novel “Two Pilgrims,” written by His Beatitude Patriarch Sahak II, as its fifteenth volume.
The Patriarch authored this historical novel during his teaching and later directorship days at the Gevorgian Seminary. The work was published in 2007 and 2010 by the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin’s printing house, in the form of two separate volumes and for the convenience of the reader, in Eastern Armenian. Later, it was also published as a combined volume.
The difference between this publication and the previous ones is that, for the first time, it has been published in its original form, in Western Armenian.
The beautiful volume, which measures 21×14.8 cm and consists of 320 pages, presents a historical story from the 18th century. However, it does not merely offer dry historical facts. This book does not only provide history and historical context. Instead, it combines Christian literature, imagination, and folklore.
The novel’s two protagonists, Father Grigor Shirvantsi and Father Hovhannes Baghishetsi—later known as Patriarch Grigor Chain-Bearer of Jerusalem and Patriarch Hovhannes Kolot of Constantinople—hold a significant place in the history of the two ecclesiastical Sees.
The volume opens with a guiding preface by the Most Reverend Author, in which he states, among other things:
“The two prominent figures of the Armenian Church in the 18th century—Patriarchs Hovhannes Kolot and Grigor Chain-Bearer—left an unforgettable mark on our religious and national history through their legendary missions. The stormy lives of these two like-minded monks, disciples of the miracle-working Vardan Vardapet, contain great lessons for devoted pilgrims of all ages. Following the luminous traces of their lives, we tried to present a humble historical novel to the reader, which many have described as a ‘novelty’ in our religious literature, due to its mystical heroism and imaginative illustrations.”
The novel is planned to be released in the form of three volumes. His Beatitude will write the third and final part, which will be published separately.
The spiritual leader concludes his preface with the following sentence:
“We hope that the seeds sown by these two giants will once again revive in the souls of Armenians three hundred years later, and that the book will become an opportunity for many to learn to look to heaven as their ancestors did, and find therein the meaning and ideal of life, as well as the fundamental answers and solutions to everyday problems.”
The beautiful cover of the book was designed by Krikor Sahakyan and Aris Karafil.
Those who wish to obtain the volume can do so by applying to the Patriarchate during working hours.