Diocese of Shirak ( ''Shiraki t'em''), is one of the dioceses of the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

covering the northern, central and south-western parts of the

Shirak Province Shirak (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province () of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces of Lori Province, Lori to the east and Aragatsotn Province, Aragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the cou ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. It almost covers 4/5th of the province, as the south-eastern town of

Artik Artik () is a town in the Artik Municipality of the Shirak Province of Armenia. As of the 2011 census, the town had a population of 19,534. As per the 2016 official estimate, the population of Artik was around 18,800. As of the 2022 census, the t ...

and its surrounding villages are excluded. The diocese was officially founded on September 6, 1920, upon a kontakion issued by Catholicos

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

. The seat of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

. The prelacy building is located on Rizhkov and Varpetats streets near the cathedral, at the centre of Gyumri.

History

In the final days of the

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was an independent History of Armenia, Armenian state that existed from May (28th ''de jure'', 30th ''de facto'') 1918 to 2 December 1920 in ...

, the diocese was established upon a ''

kontakion A kontakion (Greek , ''kondákion'', plural κοντάκια, ''kondákia'') is a form of hymn in the Byzantine liturgical tradition. The kontakion form originated in Syriac hymnography and gained prominence in Byzantium during the 6th century, ...

'' issued by Catholicos George V on September 6, 1920 after being separated from the

Araratian Pontifical Diocese Araratian Pontifical Diocese ( ''Araratyan Hayrapetakan t'em'') is the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world, covering the city of Yerevan and the Ararat Province within Armenia. History The ...

. The prelacy building of the Diocese of Shirak is located on Rizhkov and Varpetats Streets of Gyumri, near the

Vartanants Square Vartanants Square ( ''Vartanants Hraparak'') or Vardanants Square, is the large central town square in Gyumri, Armenia. It is bordered by Abovyan street from the west, Gai street from the north, Shahumyan street from the east and Vahan Cheraz stre ...

. It was designed by

Hovhannes Katchaznouni Hovhannes Kajaznuni or Katchaznouni (; 14 February 1868 – 15 January 1938) was an Armenian architect and politician who served as the first prime minister of the First Republic of Armenia from 6 June 1918 to 7 August 1919. He was a member of th ...

and built at the beginning of the 20th century. On December 2, 2012, the southern town of

and the surrounding 23 villages were separated from the Diocese of Shirak to form the newly established Diocese of Artik. Currently, the diocese has 30 active churches under its jurisdiction in the city of Gyumri, along with many other churches in the Shirak Province.Churches of Shirak
/ref> From 1999 the prelate is Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan.

References

{{coord missing, Armenia Shirak Dioceses in Armenia Oriental Orthodox dioceses in Armenia