Mekhitar
Encyclopedia
- To be distinguished from Mekhitar of Ariyank
Mekhitar da Pietro, known as Abbot Mekhitar, also spelled Mkhitar, (in Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
Մխիթար Սեբաստացի Mxit'ar Sebastaci meaning Mekhitar of Sebaste) born Petros Manuk (Manouk Petrosian) (1676-1749) was an Armenian Catholic
Armenian Catholic Church
|- |The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church sui juris in union with the other Eastern Rite, Oriental Rite and Latin Rite Catholics who accept the Bishop of Rome as spiritual leader of the Church. It is regulated by Eastern canon law...
monk (convert from Armenian Orthodox) and a prominent scholar and theologian (see Vardapet
Vardapet
A Vardapet is a highly-educated archimandrite in the Armenian Apostolic Church tradition who holds a Doctorate in Theology.In the English-speaking world, the best-known of the doctor-monks of Armenia is Mekhitar of Sebaste, founder of an Armenian Catholic community of monks, the...
) who founded what would become the Mekhitarist Order.
Background
Born Petros Manuk (Peter of Manug) in Sivas (Sebaste) in AnatoliaAnatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
on 7 February 1676, he entered the Surp Nshan (Holy Cross) monastery, taking the name Mekhitar ("The Consoler"). In 1696 he was ordained a priest.
Inspired by the idea of creating an order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
of preachers dedicated to raising the educational and spiritual level of the Armenian people, Mekhitar founded in 1701 in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
what would become known after his death as the Mekhitarist Order.
Two years later, escaping persecution, the order moved to Modone in the Peloponnese, then known as the Morea, which was a Venetian possession. In 1715, the order moved to the Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy, lying immediately west of the Lido; completely occupied by a monastery that is the mother-house of the Mekhitarist Order, the island is one of the world's foremost centers of Armenian culture.- Background :The...
at the invitation of the Venetian Republic. Mekhitar built up the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the island and the order which sent out priests to serve Armenian communities in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Mekhitar died at the monastery on 27 April 1749 and is buried in the monastery church.
See also
- MechitaristsMechitaristsThe Mechitarists , are a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian Catholic Church founded in 1712 by Abbot Mechitar of Sebastia. They are best known for their series of scholarly publications of ancient Armenian versions of otherwise lost ancient Greek texts.-History:Their eponymous...
- Eastern Catholic Churches