Holy Lance to be brought to Holy Etchmiadzin today

Panorama, Armenia
Dec 2 2017
Society 13:04 02/12/2017Armenia

One of the numerous Holy relics of the Armenian Church is the Holy Lance (Geghard), which is also used to bless and consecrate the Holy Chrism (Muron) of the Armenian Church.

Director of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin's information department Fr. Vahram Melikyan detailed on Facebook that the Holy Lance is the tip of the metal spear, which was used by the Roman soldier to pierce the side of our Lord Jesus Christ while he hung on the cross. The Holy Gospel speaks about it: “When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break His shins but one of the soldiers pierced his sides by a javelin and there was immediately blood and water” (Rom. 19: 33-34).

According to the ecclesiastical tradition, the Apostle St. Thaddeus, one of the 12 disciples of Christ, brought this sacred relic of the Lord to the Armenian world in the first century. For centuries the Holy Christian relic has been kept at different monasteries in Western (historical) Armenia, and since the 13th century in Ayrivank, which afterwards was renamed Geghardavanq in honor of the Holy Geghard.

In the second half of the 18th century, the Holy Geghard was brought to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and is still kept in the spiritual center of All Armenians.

According to historical information, the Holy Geghard with is miraculous power has dispelled mental and physical illnesses. For that purpose, during the 18-19th centuries, it was taken to different provinces of Armenia, as well as to Tbilisi, Georgia several times.

As Fr. Vahram Melikyan informed, the Holy Lance will be taken to Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the Feast of the Apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew today and remain on display until evening.