Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates The Feast of Shoghakat today

The Feast of Shoghakat is the commemoration feast of the vision showing the spot of The Cathedral of the Mother See to Gregory the Illuminator.

It is always observed on the Saturday prior to the Feast of the Assumption. According to the fifth-century historian Agatangelos, being released from the prison of Khor Virap, Saint Gregory the Illuminator lived in Vagharshapat, where thanks to his prayers he received a divine vision.

Our Lord Jesus Christ descends from Heaven and strikes the ground with His golden hammer.

The place where the Only Begotten descended identified the site for the foundation of the new cathedral of the Christian Armenian Nation.

The vision of Gregory became known as “Shoghakat”, as the Saint saw a fiery column descending from the sky.

The foundation was laid in 301 A.D. and the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was consecrated in 303 A.D. on the day of the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

As the Mother Cathedral of the Armenian Church and Nation is dedicated to St. Mary, the feast of her foundation and inauguration is celebrated in the Armenian Church on the Saturday preceding the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God.

For many years, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has been, and continues to be, the spiritual heart and center of the Armenian Church, and is her most sacred sanctuary.

Her spiritual, national and historical significance has only increased through the centuries.