How Armenia Became the First Christian Nation on Earth

Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. This country is located in southwestern Asia and currently has a population of about 2.9 million people.

Since 40 AD, two of the twelve apostles, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, preached in Armenia, leaving a significant mark on the nation. Christian communities were established following their teachings.

However, the event of Christianity becoming the country's official religion took place years later. This momentous transformation revolved around two central figures in Armenian history: King Tiridates III and St. Gregory the Illuminator.

King Tiridates III ascended the throne after his father, Khosrov II, and his mother were killed by Anak the Parthian.
This same Anak was the father of St. Gregory. Gregory was the only survivor of his family after they were all executed in retribution for the king’s murder.

Tiridates ruled well, driving enemies away and reestablishing peace within the kingdom. He forged a Roman alliance, pushed the Persians out of Armenia, and the nation prospered.

Meanwhile, Gregory was growing up in Cappadocia, where he was educated among Christians. He married a devout Christian named Miriam and had two sons before leaving to lead a monastic life, hoping to evangelize Armenia and atone for his father’s sins.

When Gregory arrived in Armenia, he sought to help King Tiridates and began working as a secretary within the army. At this time, idol worship was still prevalent in the nation.

During one pagan festival, the king ordered Gregory to make an offering to the goddess Anahit. When he refused because of his Christian faith, his peers reported him to the king and reminded Tiridates that Gregory was related to Anak, the man who had murdered his father.

Furious, King Tiridates ordered Gregory to be tortured and thrown into a dungeon pit. Gregory was expected to die slowly from starvation, yet he survived through the visions of a Christian widow.

The widow had a strange dream in which she was instructed to toss a loaf of freshly baked bread into the pit. Throughout Gregory’s thirteen years of imprisonment, this woman fed him a loaf of freshly baked bread daily, keeping him alive.

Meanwhile, Tiridates was executing Christians throughout the nation. At a certain point, he became mentally unstable, which eventually led to full-blown madness.

One day, his sister had a vision in which God visited her and told her that the king’s only hope of being cured relied on Gregory. She told the king, and he ordered that Gregory be taken out of the pit to heal him.

Gregory prayed, and the king was healed. From then on, Tiridates began helping Gregory spread Christianity throughout Armenia. Later, in 301 AD, Christianity was officially adopted as the country's state religion.

Today, 94% of Armenians are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This branch of the Orthodox Church traces its faith directly to the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who preached in the country centuries earlier. Christianity has shaped Armenian culture in profound ways.

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