Basil of Ani
Encyclopedia
Basil of Ani or Basil Pahlavuni was Armenian Catholicoi of Cilicia from 1105 to 1113.
Basil was the nephew of Catholicos Gregory II the Martyrophile
. He was the bishop of Seljuk
-occupied Ani
from 1081 to 1105. In 1090 he was appointed the bishop of Marash which enjoyed the support of Philaretos Brachamios
. In 1103 he visited Edessa
where he was received by Baldwin II
magnificently. When Vahram (birthname of Catholicos Gregory II) died on the 5th December, 1105 in Karmir Vank (Red Monastery), in the principality of Kesun, he was in charge of the burial and was elected as the new Catholikos.
He moved his residence several times from Zamintia (Tzamandos) to the confines of Cilicia
, then being filled with Armenian refugees, fleeing from Seljuk invasions. The monastery of Shugur on the Orontes River, in Sev Ler (Amanus, Black Mountains), became a favorite home for Basil. He died on 13 November 1113 when a balcony accidentally collapsed. His 18-year-old nephew Gregory III Pahlavuni (1113–1166) became his successor.
Basil was the nephew of Catholicos Gregory II the Martyrophile
Gregory II the Martyrophile
Gregory II the Martyrophile was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1066 and 1105.On the death of Khachig II the Byzantines had hoped to leave Armenia without a pontiff for good, part of an effort to subdue them as a people and assimilate them into the Greek rite...
. He was the bishop of Seljuk
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
-occupied 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...
from 1081 to 1105. In 1090 he was appointed the bishop of Marash which enjoyed the support of Philaretos Brachamios
Philaretos Brachamios
Philaretos Brachamios was a distinguished Byzantine general and warlord of Armenian heritage, and for a time was a usurper against emperor Michael VII...
. In 1103 he visited Edessa
Edessa, Mesopotamia
Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...
where he was received by Baldwin II
Baldwin II of Jerusalem
Baldwin II of Jerusalem , formerly Baldwin II of Edessa, also called Baldwin of Bourcq, born Baldwin of Rethel was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death.-Ancestry:Baldwin was the son of Hugh, count of Rethel, and his wife Melisende,...
magnificently. When Vahram (birthname of Catholicos Gregory II) died on the 5th December, 1105 in Karmir Vank (Red Monastery), in the principality of Kesun, he was in charge of the burial and was elected as the new Catholikos.
He moved his residence several times from Zamintia (Tzamandos) to the confines of Cilicia
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
, then being filled with Armenian refugees, fleeing from Seljuk invasions. The monastery of Shugur on the Orontes River, in Sev Ler (Amanus, Black Mountains), became a favorite home for Basil. He died on 13 November 1113 when a balcony accidentally collapsed. His 18-year-old nephew Gregory III Pahlavuni (1113–1166) became his successor.