Imprisonment of Hermogenes. Hermogenes of Moscow and All Rus'. Brief biography of His Serene Lord

Imprisonment of Hermogenes.  Hermogenes of Moscow and All Rus'.  Brief biography of His Serene Lord
Imprisonment of Hermogenes. Hermogenes of Moscow and All Rus'. Brief biography of His Serene Lord

In Dagestan, an ancient Armenian chapel has been preserved, which local Armenians, together with local residents of a mountain village, are restoring at their own expense. Once a year, Dagestan Armenians gather here for the feast of St. Grigoris. According to last census population, more than 5 thousand Armenians live in Dagestan. Many of them are families who have lived here for over 100 years.

The chapel of St. Grigoris is located in the village of Nyugdi, Derbensky district of Dagestan, in the south of the republic. A large Armenian community lived in this area until the 18th century. However, later people were forced to move. According to historical sources, the church was built on the site where the enlightener and missionary Saint Grigoris suffered martyrdom in the 3rd century.

For a long time, they did not know about the chapel even in the center of the spiritual life of Armenia, in Etchmiadzin. However, thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts, the church is known and remembered. Now the chapel is officially considered inactive, and most of the time it is empty. But despite this, services are held here from time to time. He comes here from Kislovodsk especially to conduct the service. spiritual guide Armenians North Caucasus, ter Sargis. He himself was born in Dagestan, but has not lived here for a long time. The Armenians of Dagestan value the shrine very much; they reconstruct the temple at their own expense, organize cleanup days here, and improve the territory of the church in every possible way.

At the origins of the restoration of the chapel of St. Grigoris is the chairman of the Armenian community of Derbent, Viktor Danilyan. With the support of local authorities and a group of like-minded people, starting in 2004, Viktor Mikhailovich managed to strengthen the walls and chapels, put the dome and roof in order, restore and partially replace windows and doors. In the church yard there are now fruit and coniferous trees. The territory of the church itself is surrounded by a fence. All this is done on personal funds Danilyan and donations from Armenians living in the republic. Not only Armenians are providing all possible assistance in the reconstruction of the Church of St. Grigoris. Residents of the village of Nyugdi and the surrounding area are very respectful of the Armenian shrine. For example, when active reconstruction of the temple began, they indicated the place where the flooded gates of the church lay in the river. Parts of the altar and some other stone elements were also discovered there. interior decoration churches.

Above one of the entrances to the chapel there is a stone with an inscription in Armenian. For many years this slab was kept in the house of one of the local residents of the village; before his death, he bequeathed to his son to give “this stone to the owners when the time comes.”

As soon as the church was slightly restored, the old Armenian tradition of coming here on the penultimate Sunday of August was revived. This is the day of remembrance of Saint Grigoris, whose name the ancient chapel bears.

Tables are set here, people bring with them various dishes of Armenian cuisine. People with whole families spend the whole day here, dancing, singing, sitting together at the table, honoring the elderly and raising the youth.

There is another large Armenian temple in Derbent. Now it is used for classical music concerts organized by the Derbent Music School. In addition, a priest comes here several times a year and conducts baptism and wedding ceremonies. According to Dagestan historians, it is difficult to answer the question of when the first Armenians appeared on the territory of Dagestan and where they mainly lived. This evidence comes mainly from the ancients archaeological artifacts- tombstones with Armenian inscriptions. In addition, in Dagestan there is an Armenian village of Karabagly, where Armenians have lived for a very long time.

According to the latest census, more than 5 thousand Armenians live in Dagestan. These are families who have lived here for more than 100 years, and there are Armenians who came to Dagestan in the 1990s. These are mainly refugees from Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Russian Planet correspondent Musa Musaev visited the Muslim village of Nyugdi, where the first Christian religious building in Russia was built - the chapel of St. Grigoris. “...Although the Armenians themselves have not lived in Nyugdi for a long time, they continue to monitor the condition of the temple,” the author of the publication emphasizes.
Nyugdi is lost 35 kilometers south of Derbent. From the nearest major settlement Belidzhi is led there by a dusty dirt road. Here are the first Nyugda houses, vegetable gardens, geese, chickens, turkeys, and not a single living one human soul, to ask if my friend and I were going the right way. Armams Danilov, an Armenian from Derbent, agreed to go with me to Nyugdi to show everything and tell me about the temple. But he, who had been here more than once, almost missed the street to the temple. Here we are at the local mosque. And in the distance the dome of the temple peeks out from behind the trees.
It was built on the site of the chapel 98 years ago. And the chapel itself was rebuilt twice by wealthy Armenians only in the 19th century. It is surprising that they themselves have not lived in Nyugdi for more than 200 years. Under Tsar Paul I, the village temporarily went to Persia, and the Armenians were forced to move deeper into Russian Empire. Representatives of Iranian-speaking peoples and Mountain Jews moved to their place. In the 90s of the last century, the bulk of Jews emigrated to Israel. Now Azerbaijanis and Lezgins live in Nyugdi. But the Armenians continued to monitor the condition of the chapel of the first bishop of Caucasian Albania, Saint Grigoris, from afar. They make a pilgrimage here. “The Armenians of Derbent, as well as their compatriots from other cities of Russia, came to Nyugdi once a year to worship,” wrote Evgeniy Kozubsky in “The History of Derbent,” published in 1906.
Well, we are approaching the place where the oldest Christian religious building was. Derbent historical monuments are under UNESCO protection. And the temple of St. Grigoris is guarded, as it turned out, by an ordinary Azerbaijani family. We went to the owners to get the keys, and they treated us to strong tea. In 1962, by a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the temple was recognized as a historical monument. However, during the years of Soviet atheism, pilgrimage here stopped, the church was empty. And in the 90s of the last century it was completely abandoned and began to collapse. While leafing through the monograph, I came across a photograph that showed trees growing on the roof of the temple. It seems that Derbent shell rock is the most fertile of stones. The walls, dome, and roof of the temple were built from this very Derbent shell stone. Near the temple, a large oak tree showers the temple with acorns. Armams Danilov shows nearby two-meter oak bushes and says that the same ones grew on the roof of the temple.
Armenians, immigrants from the Derbent region, decided to restore the tradition. At the beginning of the 2000s, the first pilgrims of a new generation appeared here. Now on the day of St. Grigoris, which is celebrated on the last Sunday of August, from 400 to 800 Armenians come to Nyugdi. Many of them contribute to the restoration of the temple and improvement of the area around it. Among them is media tycoon Aram Gabrelyanov.
The temple area is fenced and is gradually being put in order. Made inside major renovation, trees were removed from the roof. The stone roof and dome were cleaned of their roots with a special solution and covered with Italian mastic. A large chandelier will soon be raised to the ceiling. On the walls are icons of St. Grigoris and other holy martyrs who spread the faith in this land. We recently ordered a lift from Pyatigorsk to install a cross on the dome.
“The temple in the village of Nyugdi in southern Dagestan preserves the memory of the first Christians who entered the territory of the Russian Federation in the first century AD. Written sources from the apostolic period report that already in 62 AD, the Apostle Elisha began preaching the faith of Christ in Chol and Toprah-Kala,” Deputy Director of the Derbent Museum-Reserve Veli Mirzoev told us.
From church tradition it is known that the apostles of Christ Bartholomew, Thaddeus, and Elisha preached in southern Dagestan. One of the twelve disciples of Christ, the holy Apostle Bartholomew, after preaching the Word of God in Asia Minor and India, went to Caucasian Albania. The country waged constant wars with the Persians, Huns, and Muscats. When the Derbent region came under Persian protectorate, Christians were persecuted.
As Veli Mehdiyev said, Saint Elisha suffered martyrdom in the Zergun Valley, presumably on the territory of modern Azerbaijan, “in the land of the Maskuts.” His body was thrown into a pit. According to one version, in the second half of the 5th century, King Vachagan III found the relics of the saint, and built a chapel over the place of his death.
According to historical information, in 313, King Urnair (from the Arsacid dynasty), together with his army, was baptized by St. Gregory on the Euphrates River. From that time on, Christianity was proclaimed the state religion of Caucasian Albania. With the help of the new religion, Urnair hopes, firstly, to unite the multi-tribal state, and secondly, to resist Zoroastrian Persia. The grandson of Gregory the Illuminator, Grigoris, at the request of Urnair, was ordained bishop of Albania and Iveria.
The story about Saint Grigoris RP was told by the head of the Armenian community in Derbent, local historian Viktor Danilyan. “Arriving in Albania from Armenia, Bishop Grigoris ordained priests and convinced them to serve the saints. Then he went to preach in the camp of the nomadic state of Maskuts, says Danilyan. - But the Christian values ​​“thou shalt not kill”, “thou shalt not steal” contradicted the foundations of the Maskut state. The state existed through raids and robberies. The Maskut king Sanesan mistook Grigoris for a specially sent spy and ordered his execution. Grigoris was tied to a wild horse, which was set loose along the seashore.”
The 7th century historian Moses Kalankatuatsi wrote in his work “The History of the Country of Aluank”: Saint Grigoris suffered martyrdom in a field called Vatnean, on the shore of the great sea. The tragic event occurred in 337, 30 kilometers south of Derbent. The disciples transported the saint's body to the Amaras monastery and buried him there. Modern scientists suggest that the grave of St. Grigoris is located on Mount Dzhalgan, not far from the village of the same name. This mountain rises above Derbent.
At the site of the death of Grigoris, where the village of Nyugdi is now located, the students erected a chapel. Over the course of 1700 years, it was restored several times. Armenian written sources say that the chapel was rebuilt twice in the 19th century. And in 1916, a temple was erected on the site of the chapel.
The translation of the Armenian inscription above one of the entrances indicates the date of construction of the current building: “The temple was built on the site of the martyrdom of St. Grigoris, the grandson of our father Gregory the Illuminator, was built at the expense of Vanatsents’s brothers, Grigor and Lazar Petrosovich, in the year of the Lord 1916.” It is known that large Astrakhan merchants who also owned real estate in the Dagestan region belonged to the Vanatsyants family.
There is evidence of Arthur Papovyan, who now lives in Europe, in family archive which contains a photograph of the chapel dated 1899: in the foreground is a group of pilgrims, including his maternal grandfather Airapet-bek Nersesov, who lived in Derbent.
In the church-chapel of St. Grigoris in the village of Nyugdi there is a stone with an inscription in Armenian. One of the local residents kept it at home and bequeathed it to his son to give it to the “owners” when the time came. The son fulfilled his father's will.
The inscription on the stone reads: “I, Mrs. Elizoveta Kochkachyants, built a church in memory of myself and my family in 1879.” Written sources from 1850 say that Archbishop Sarkis Jalalyants visited the chapel: “...A small chapel was built, inside of which there is a square grave...”

), the first bishop of the Alvan Church, a holy Armenian Apostolic Church.

According to one version, he was ordained at a young age as Bishop of Albania in the Caucasus by his grandfather Gregory or, according to another, by his uncle Aristakes.

Previously, he was ordained in Albania together with King Urnair with the blessing of St. Gregory arrived another " blessed man, ordained bishop in the city of Rome", about future fate of which nothing is known. In one of the editions of the Life of St. Gregory the Illuminator it is said that, “when the saint directed priests and bishops to neighboring countries, Albania went to the pious Bishop Thomas from the city of Satala".

Sources also report that Grigoris took with him to Albania a piece of the blood of the righteous Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, and a particle of the relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. The holy relics of the martyrs were placed in a church built in the city of Tsri.

Leaving a priest there to serve and venerate the martyrs of Christ, the bishop took with him part of the relics of the saints and went to the country of the Maskuts. Appearing before Sanesan (Sanatruk), the king of the Maskuts from the local Arshakuni dynasty, he preached about Christ, all those present joyfully believed in gospel word. Grigoris exhorted the people not to destroy houses, rob or steal, but to work and be blessed in God. The Mascouts decided that “This is the cunning of the Armenian king to prevent the devastation of Armenia; How can we live if we don’t rob?”

The disciples transported the body of Grigoris to the city of Amaras in the Gavar Mius-Aband (Khaband) and there they laid it in the church near the throne with north side. The burial place was not marked for fear of desecration by the pagans and was forgotten over time.

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the day of remembrance of Grigoris on the 3rd Saturday before the Nativity of Christ or on the 3rd Sunday of the holiday of Vardavar (Transfiguration of the Lord) together with the memory of other sons and grandsons of Gregory the Illuminator, as well as on the Monday after the 5th Sunday after the Exaltation of the Cross (finding relics).

Literature

  • Moses Kagankatvatsi. History of the Agvans / Translated by: K. P. Patkanov. St. Petersburg, 1861
  • Moses Khorensky. History of Armenia. / Transl.: N. O. Emin. M., 1893
  • Geyushev R.B. About the grave of Grigoris, Catholicos of Caucasian Albania. Baku, 1970. P. 7-8;
  • aka. Christianity in Caucasian Albania. Baku, 1984. P. 34;
  • DHGE. T. 21. Col. 1470-1471;
  • Alexy (Nikonorov), priest. History of Christianity in Caucasian Albania. Baku, 2005. pp. 68-71.

Used materials

  • Jerome. Alexy (Nikonorov). Gregoris of Albania. Orthodox Encyclopedia, T. 13, pp. 86-87
  • V.A.Shnirelman, Albanian myth. From the book “Memory Wars. Myths, identity and politics in Transcaucasia", M., ICC, "Akademkniga", 2003.

Movses Khorenatsi. History of Armenia. III, 3

Movses Kagankatvatsi. History of agwan. I 14

In the village of Nyugdi, Derbent district of Dagestan, 37 km from Derbent

V.A. Shnirelman. Albanian myth. Note 14

Movses Kagankatvatsi. History of agwan. II, 5

Albanian temple in Nyugdi (Russia) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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This ancient shrine is surprisingly well preserved for its impressive age. The inhabitants of the village of Nyugdi (Mola-Khalil) are predominantly Azerbaijanis and Muslims. But they belong to Christian temple with respect and follow it: the history of the shrine truly inspires respect. The date of construction of the first chapel on this site is said to be 357. Moreover, there are disputes regarding exactly which people built the church (and therefore played main role in the spread of Christianity in Dagestan) have not subsided to this day.

Temple in Nyugdi long years was one of the most revered among the Christians of the Eastern Caucasus, and numerous pilgrims came to him.

The church in Nyugdi is dedicated to St. Grigoris, Bishop of Albania and Iberia, grandson of Gregory the Illuminator, who baptized the first ruler of Caucasian Albania. Young Grigoris took orders in the 330s, but less than 10 years passed and he was killed by the ruler of the warlike Huns (Maskuts). A small chapel was built at the site of his death. The Armenian Church insists that the temple was built by Armenians, but there is no real evidence of this. The church was first mentioned in written sources in 1857, although the place on which it was built was considered sacred long before that - and not only by Christians.

The building that can be seen here today dates from the late Middle Ages and is remarkable for its expressiveness. It is not so monumental: the height of the temple is no more than 20 m. But its symmetry and strict proportionality, the prism dome, and cross-shaped holes in the walls give the church building character and solidity.

According to researchers, the temple in Nyugdi for many years was one of the most revered among Christians in the Eastern Caucasus, and numerous pilgrims came to it. The Soviet government recognized the church as a historical monument, although the temple remained abandoned. At the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries. the church began to be restored, and since the 1990s. Armenian families from Derbent and the surrounding area come to her again every year to venerate the saint.

Practical information

Nyugdi (Mola-Khalil) is located near Derbent, slightly south of Beliji.

Church in the village of Nyugdi in Dagestan. How Armenian historical myths are melting away

Rizvan Huseynov, historian, political analyst, journalist:

“Friendly faces, persistent persuasion to stay for lunch, hot tandir bread for the road. This is how the scientists who came to see the Church of St. Grigoris in the Dagestan village of Nyugdi were hospitably greeted in Caucasian style by a family of local Azerbaijanis. In Nyugdi, once a Jewish settlement, today mostly Azerbaijanis remain. It is they who keep this Christian shrine, despite the fact that they themselves profess Islam. “The temple of God must be protected,” they sincerely believe in the Azerbaijani family, which kindly agreed to provide the key to the church, which they kept, to the guests of the All-Russian scientific-practical conference"1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Derbent as the state religion of Caucasian Albania."

Scientists were interested to see on the spot who actually belongs to this monument of Christian architecture, which is claimed by the Armenian participants of the conference. Indeed, according to them, the history of Christianity in Dagestan since ancient times has been connected with the activities Armenian Church and what exactly did the Armenian rulers play key role in the spread of Christianity in this territory. And as the oldest center of the Armenian church in Dagestan, they point to the temple in the village of Nyugdi (Mola-Khalil), allegedly built on the site of the murder of St. Gregoris, the grandson of Gregory the Illuminator, in the 4th century.

Let us note that in the 30s of the 4th century, the grandson of Gregory the Illuminator, Grigoris, at the request of the Albanian rulers, was ordained bishop of Iberia and Albania. Arriving in Albania, Bishop Grigoris “...ordained the priests, convinced them to serve the saints...and was zealously inflamed with the apostolic truth.” In 337 (or 338) Bishop Grigoris suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Maskut king of the Huns, Senesan (Sanatruk). Maskuts (Mashkuts, Massagets) lived on the western coast of the Caspian Sea from Dagestan, to Absheron and even further south, they were a warlike people who kept at bay ancient world. Nowadays, in the vicinity of Baku, the village of Mashtagi has been preserved, bearing in its name and inhabitants the memory of the former power of the Mash(s)kuts. Ancient sources specifically note that the Maskuts were a Hunnic people whose warriors were fluent in martial arts and were excellent horsemen. That is, the Maskuts, being a Turkic people, have owned vast territories in the Caucasus since ancient times. Sources note that Saint Grigoris was executed by releasing a horse, to the tail of which a martyr was tied - this was once common among Turkic peoples method of execution.

It is curious that the Armenian side, citing ancient, including Armenian, sources regarding the martyrdom of Grigoris, “does not notice” the Turkic origin of the Maskut Huns, who have lived in the region since ancient times. However, let's return directly to the Church of St. Grigoris.

If you believe Armenian sources, including the Encyclopedia of the Hayazg Foundation, there used to be “a chapel of St. Grigoris, erected in 337, as legend says, on the site of the death of young Grigoris.” According to the Armenian participants of the conference “1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Derbent as the state religion of Caucasian Albania” held in Derbent, this church was built in ancient times by Armenians, and then in the 19th-20th centuries. restored several times. But the earliest known written mention of the chapel of St. Grigoris in Nyugdi dates back to 1857, when the Armenian publicist Rostom-bek Erzinkyan visited it. This place has been considered holy since ancient times, both for Muslims and Christians, and there is no information that there was previously an Armenian church here.

The participants of the Derbent conference, among whom was the author of these lines, did not find any traces of antiquity or its earlier construction in the church. At the same time, it was found out that thanks to the late Azerbaijani Kamil Gudratov, he managed to preserve a stone with a memorial inscription about the restoration of the church in late XIX century, on the basis of which the Armenians rebuilt the church and now seek to date it to the 4th century. Let us note that at the beginning of the 20th century this church was again restored or completed by the Armenians. Then a few years ago I started new restoration and the completion of the Church of St. Grigoris, which continues to this day.

By the way, the process of Armenianization of the Albanian Church, which started in the early-mid 19th century, continues in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. A monument to the Albanian civilization, the Gandzasar monastery complex, like many other temples located in the area captured by Armenia Nagorno-Karabakh, has undergone numerous changes, restructuring, “restorations”, the purpose of which was its Armenianization. Fortunately, ancient manuscripts have been preserved, as well as old studies and books on which modern research can judge the original state and significance of Gandzasar. In particular, a large layer of factual material has been collected in scientific research Academician I. Orbeli (1887-1961), the works of Bishop Makar Barkhudaryants (1834-1906) where the state of churches, inscriptions and gravestone epitaphs before the start of their complete Armenianization is given. The Azerbaijani participants at the conference in Derbent noted this in their speeches.

Let us recall that for the first time, the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Caucasian Albania was solemnly celebrated in August of this year in Azerbaijan, in the Udi village of Nij, Gabala region. This date was not chosen by chance, since according to some sources it was in 313 that the Albanian king Urnair (the Blessed One), together with the Albanian princes and his army, received baptism from St. Gregory the Illuminator. Christianity in Derbent, as well as throughout Caucasian Albania, spread from the middle of the 1st century. And in the V-VII centuries. Derbent acted as one of the main Christian centers of the Eastern Caucasus. Here, according to the early medieval Albanian author Moses Kalankatui, the residence of the patriarchs of the Albanian Church was located.

Meanwhile, the statements of the Armenian speakers about the belonging of the early Christian heritage of Dagestan to the Armenian Church provoked serious controversy among the conference participants. Representatives of the Dagestan scientific community refuted the arguments of the Armenian side, showing that the history of Christianity in Dagestan and throughout the Caucasus is inextricably linked with the Albanian Church, Caucasian Albania and the peoples who have inhabited it since ancient times.

The Azerbaijani delegation, in discussions on this issue, noted that the heritage of Caucasian Albania is the common cultural and historical treasure of all the peoples of the Caucasus and it makes no sense to “divide it into national apartments,” thereby provoking conflicts between peoples. The position of the Azerbaijani side was ultimately supported by the organizers of the conference and all participants in the discussion, who recognized attempts to “nationalize” the heritage of Caucasian Albania from any side as unproductive and dangerous.

The village of Nyugdi in Dagestan near the border with Azerbaijan



Azerbaijani Nyugdi women bake bread in tandir


Church of St. Gregoris



The inscription above the entrance speaks of the repair and completion of the church in 1916.



An old slab indicating the renovation of the church in 1879.



Conference participants



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