Catholicos Ananias I was the Catholicos

Catholicos

Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...

 of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...

 between 949 and 968.

His predecessor Yeghishe had been deposed as Catholicos and by church regulations no one could be elected during his lifetime. The office was held by a deputy until Yeghishe died two years later and Ananias of Varagavank

Varagavank

Varagavank , also known as Yedi Kilise , was a prominent Armenian monastery founded in the 11th century on the slopes of Mount Varag 9 km east of the city of Van in Turkey's Eastern Anatolia region....

 became pontiff.
Catholicos Ananias moved the seat of the Catholicosate from Vaspurakan

Vaspurakan

Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...

 at Akhtamar to the town of Arghina. He coronated Ashot III

Ashot III

Ashot III the Merciful also known as Ashot the Gracious was an Armenian king. He ruled from Armenia's capital city of Ani....

 in 961

961

Year 961 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Ani becomes the capital of Armenia under the Bagratuni Dynasty....

 at his new capital nearby of Ani

Ani

Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...

. In 958

958

Year 958 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Fatimid general Gawhar al-Siqilli takes the capital of the rebellious Kharijite Banu Ya'la tribesmen, Ifgan. Gawhar in the following two years conquers most of the North of modern Morocco and Algeria...

 the Catholicos ended the schism of the bishop of Syunik

Syunik

Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It borders the Vayots Dzor marz to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave to the west, Karabakh to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital is Kapan. Other important cities and towns include Goris, Sisian, Meghri, Agarak, and Dastakert...

, who was supported by the Catholicos of Albania

Caucasian Albania

Albania is a name for the historical region of the eastern Caucasus, that existed on the territory of present-day republic of...

, at the Council of Kapan

Kapan

-Notable landmarks:*Vahanavank monastery*Baghaberd and Halidzor Fortresses.*Tatev Monastery - This monastery, situated northwest of Kapan was founded in the ninth century in the place of an ancient tabernacle well-known in ancient times...

 by consecrating its new metropolitan. This period showed a great deal of involvement of the king in church activities.
A relative of Ananias later became Catholicos Khachig I of Armenia

Khachig I of Armenia

Catholicos Khachig I was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 973 and 992.After a one year vacancy due to a confusing period where there were two rival Catholicoi, King Ashot III "the Merciful" called an assembly to pick a new Catholicos...

.