- Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak
Unique to the
Armenian Orthodox Church , the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak is celebrated on the Sunday nearest toSeptember 28 , always two weeks after theFeast of the Exaltation of the Cross . In the 3rd century, the nun [http://www.armenianchurch.net/prayer/saints/hripsime-gayane.html St. Hripsime] buried a piece of the cross upon whichChrist was crucified onMount Varak in historicArmenia as a way of protecting it from the soldiers ofEmperor Maximian , who were pursuing her. Centuries later, in 650 A.D., amonk by the name ofTodik had a dream of a church on Mount Varak with 12 pillars in the center of which was a radiant cross. The cross then came to rest over the altar of the monastery of Varak, where Todik discovered the crossrelic . When told the news by the monk,Catholicos Nersess (the builder) came to Varak, verified the relic's authenticity, and established a feast in honor of the discovery.External links
* [http://www.armenianchurch.net/ Armenian Church of America]
* [http://www.armenianchurch.net/worship/cross/feasts.html Armenian Church cross feasts]
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