2551) Armenian Apostolic Church Had Not Been Allowed To Operate In Constantinople

I Bet You did not Know that during the Byzantine period, the Armenian Apostolic Church had not been allowed to operate in Constantinople, because the Byzantine Church regarded the Armenian Church as heretic. The Armenians had no representation in the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451, because they were struggling against the Sassanids in an armed rebellion. For that reason, there appeared a theological drift between Armenian and Byzantine Christianity. Regardless, many Armenians became successful in the Byzantine Empire. One out of five Byzantine emperors and empresses were ethnically Armenian or half-Armenian; although culturally Greek . . .

After conquering Constantinople, the Ottomans allowed the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople to stay in the city. But Sultan Mehmed II allowed the Armenians to establish their own church in the new Ottoman capital, as part of the Millet system. For a short period, the Syrian Orthodox Church was also placed under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Patriarchate.

The first Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople was Hovakim I, who was at the time the Metropolitan of Bursa. In 1461, he was brought to Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II and established as the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople. Hovakim I was recognized as the religious and secular leader of all Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and carried the title of milletbas,? or ethnarch as well as patriarch.

There have been 84 individual Patriarchs since establishment of the Patriarchate:

* 75 patriarchs during the Ottoman period (1461-1908)
* 4 patriarchs in the Young Turks period (1908-1922)
* 5 patriarchs in the current secular Turkish Republic (1923 - present)

Archbishop Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafyan of Constantinople is the 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople under the authority of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

Source: Mavi Boncuk .