Vardan Mamikonian Vardan Mamikonian ( ) ( 393 AD — 451 AD ) , also known as Saint Vardan ( Սուրբ Վարդան " Surb Vardan " ) was an Armenia n military leader , a martyr and a saint of the Armenian Church . Vardan Mamikonian , a member of the Mamikonian family , is revered as one of the greatest military and spiritual leaders of Christian Armenia in the 5th century . Saint Vardan Day , usually in February ( rarely at times in first week of March but always falling on a Thursday ) , is commemorated by churches in Armenia and the Armenian diaspora . He is considered a national hero . Major Armenian churches are named after Saint Vardan . A major equestrian statue representing him is found in the Armenian capital Yerevan . Vardan Mamikonian was born in 393 AD to Hamazasp Mamikonian ( in Armenian Համազասպ Մամիկոնյան ) and to Sahakanoush ( in Armenian Սահականուշ ) , After Vardan became Sparapet ( army leader ) in 432 , the Persians summoned him to Ctesiphon . Upon his return home in 450 , Vardan repudiated the Persian religion and instigated an Armenian rebellion against their Sassanian overlords . Biography . Vardan died in the Battle of Avarayr on the Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan . The also known as the Battle of Vardanants , was fought on May 26 , 451 AD on the Avarayr Plain in Vaspurakan , between the Armenian Army under Saint Vardan and the Sassanid ( Persian ) rulers . While the Persians were victorious on the battlefield itself , with Vardan killed in battle , the Battle of Avarayr paved the way for the compact between Persians and Armenians that guaranteed religious freedom for Christian Armenians . After his death , the insurrection continued led by Vahan Mamikonian , the son of Vardan ' s brother , resulting in the restoration of Armenian autonomy with the Nvarsak Treaty ( 484 ) , thus guaranteeing the survival of Armenian statehood in later centuries . Vardan Mamikonian is the father of Vardeni Mamikonian ( known also as ( , ) transliterated as Shushanik or Shoushanig ) , born around 409 AD . She married Varsken of Georgia . When her husband , a prominent Georgian feudal lord ( pitiakhsh ) Varsken took a pro - Persian position renouncing Christianity and adopting Zoroastrianism , he tried to force his wife Shushanik to convert , but she refused vehemently to submit to his orders to abandon her Christian faith and was put to death in 475 AD on Varsken ' s orders . Shushanik has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church and is venerated by the Armenian Apostolic Church . Known as Saint Shushanik , her feast day is celebrated on October 17 . Veneration . After his death , Vardan Mamikonian was consecrated as a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church . He is commonly known as Saint Vardan ( in Armenian Սուրբ Վարդան ) ( in Eastern Armenian transliteration and pronunciation Surb Vardan , in Western Armenian transliteration and pronunciation as Saint Vartan or Sourb Vartan ) . He is also revered by the Armenian Catholic Church as a saint of the church and by Armenian Evangelical Church . His commemoration day in the official Armenian Church calendar is usually in the month of February and on very rare occasions may fall in the first week of March . The actual Saint Vardan day is a moving day , as it always has to fall on a Thursday . Major Christian Armenian churches are named after Saint Vardan , including St . Vartan Cathedral in New York City . Vardan and Western Armenian variant Vartan are both very common given names for Armenian males , the female version is Vardanoush or Vartanoush . Vardanyan , Vardanian , and Vartanian are also common Armenian family names .