St. Aristaces I

St Aristaces (also known as Aristakes) () was assigned by St. Gregory I the Enlightener as the next Armenian Catholicos in line of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church, to stabilize and continue strengthening Christianity not only in Armenia, but also in the Caucasus and Anatolia. At the time, the position was hereditary and assigned to the Parthian dynasty.
Gregory also placed and instructed his grandson Grigoris (Aristakes' son) in charge of the holy missions to the peoples and tribes of all of the Caucasus and Caucasian Albania. Grigoris was martyred by a fanatical mob, while preaching in Albania.
After the assignemnet of his son as Catholicos, and after reaching his late eighties St. Gregory I the Enlightener withdrew to a small sanctuary near Mount Sebuh (Mt. Sepuh) in the Daranalia province (Manyats Ayr, Upper Armenia) with a small convent of monks, where he remained until his death.
St Aristaces I ruled from 325 until 333AD.
Category:330s deaths
Category:Armenian saints
Category:Catholicoi of Armenia
es:Arisdaches
fr:Aristacès Ier
hy:Արիստակես Ա. Պարթև
ru:Аристакес I
fi:Aristakes