Installed 1932 Name Khoren of Successor George VI of Armenia | Predecessor George V of Armenia Term ended 1938 | |
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Church Armenian Apostolic Church See Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin | ||
Khoren I of Armenia (Armenian: Խորեն Ա Տփղիսեցի Մուրադբեկյան; December 8, 1873 – April 6, 1938) was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1932 and 1938.
Biography
He was born on December 8, 1873 as Alexander Hovhannes Muradbekyan (in Armenian Ալեքսանդր Հովհաննեսի Մուրադբեկյան) in Tbilisi.
Prior to his reign, the assaults of the Soviet communist authorities under the rule of Joseph Stalin had accelerated against the Armenian Apostolic Church beginning in 1929. The throne was left empty from 1930 to 1932 after the death of Catholicos Gevork V (George V of Armenia) in 1930.
When pressure was momentarily eased in the following years to improve the country's relations with the Armenian Diaspora Khoren Muradpekyan was assigned as Catholicos and became known as Khoren I assuming the title of His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians.
However, in the late 1930s, the Soviets renewed their attacks against Christian Churches including the Armenian Church. This culminated in the alleged murder of Khoren I on April 6, 1938 after 6 turbulent years of his rule as part of the Stalinist Great Purge.
Upon his death, the communist authorities closed the Catholicate of Echmiatsin on August 4, 1938. The Church however survived underground and in the Armenian diaspora.
The throne remained vacant yet again for a much longer period of 7 years stretching from 1938 until 1945 when it was restored with the assignment of Bishop Gevork Cheorekchian as Catholicos Gevork VI (also known as George VI of Armenia).
Khoren I is buried near the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.