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The

Martyrdom of St. Rhipsime The Virgin

The Conversion of Armenia, 301 A.D

(based on ancient historical accounts)

Epic Poem by Anna Anahit Paitian

(Translation from Armenian;

The original poem in Armenian..page 14)

T he King Tiridates of Great Armenia At his royal hall in gold and purple lights

Was waiting for a young nice of Augustus Caesar,

Who was captured by the kings knights.

By the request of the emperors prefect

A virgin nun, a ravishing godess ,

A runaway from Rome, named Romsime-

Rhipsime ,

should be arrested and turned back to the Romans,

To be a great queen and bride of the Emperor

To her nightmare and horror.

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And King Tiridates had heard the rumors ,

That this virgin is not an ordinary beauty,

But a miracle- worker, a charmer in duty ,

who astonishes people of the land,

from his kingdom and beyond.

And stood up the Virgin in front of the king

As a platan tree in its blossom ,

In her elegancy awesome -

As a young deer with the eyes of celestial purity-

As a lightening from Heaven of love

To strike the king in halve.

The king was shocked.

The king was mute;

Confused from the majestic look .

Approached the king to the virgin,

Took up her hand in reverence and homage,

Bowed and kissed it,

promising a glory, wealth, throne, and marriage .

Meanwhile the virgin was unmoved and cold like a statue

To the tenderness of the king and to his royal virtue.

The king was shaking from desires low and bestial,

Not understanding the reason of refusal, the reason of whims ,

When suddenly he noticed on the maids vestment

the sign of crucifix .

O, Crucifix! He heard about that before,

And about a sect, which hated this world,

Dreaming for the next,

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Daring to bring down the tokens of empires power

Fighting in pithy guts

With Olympus gods.

And in sudden fury King stepped forward

to subordinate that unruly wayward;

He took the maid from her arm with a lordly gesture,

Forced upon her, pulling her to himself ,

Trying to tear up her crucifix and diffident vesture

The Virgin in a sudden and unexpected blow,

In a violent thrust of her fine hand unbound ,

Stroke the king down to the base low-

His body all stretched on the ground.

In the terrible scene , in a front of all,

The crown from the head of the king rigid and gory

Flew up and rolled down with a terrible tinkle

Announcing the end of its glory.

The eyes of the King turned red and bloody,

In the furious hate and wrath

He faced his humiliation from the lady ,

Being kept in shame on his own lot .

He jumped up on his feet as a lion in fury,

And renewed his assaults in a great hurry-

To his pleasure,

And to the vengeance of the mob booster;

But every time trying to strike the Virgin-

He was thrown back as a paltry rooster.

Every time the Virgin raised her arms in prayers

The lightening hit in a terrible blast sprayer ,

Jolting the walls and ceiling in a dust red,

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Making people to petrify in a great dread.

King had halted in dismay ;

She is not a woman ,

She is an angel perhaps - he tried to say ;

How come the Great Tiridates can fail?

A wrestler renown, unconquered

Being now beaten up by a woman frail?

Meanwhile the holy Virgin vested in crucifix

Ran away to meet her Forty Companions

From the palace of king to the Eastern edge ,

Led by humble Gaiane -

a teacher of virtue and divine knowledge .

And the knights of Tiridates by his orders

Blocked the way of virgins in close halos

With bare swords ready to strike,

To kill them and harm,

For the great fear that the nuns will operate

Their magic charm .

And the massacre started ruthless,

without refuge,

And the blood flooded in streams

Splashing all over as a New Deluge .

And glorious Rhispime approached to butchers,

Knelt before them,

laying down her neck in a bloody site,

Letting them to cut off her tongue ,

To pull out her eyes heavenly bright.

The solders were amazed in their carnage,

That holy virgins did not feel pain, did not suffer

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They were but in pure joy, in happiness utter ,

Expiring in peace and bliss

Jesus! only on their lips.

And they cut virgins to numberless pieces,

As if to distribute each piece of virgins benign,

Like a chunk of incense for every Armenian .

The King Tiridates was in deep thoughts,

The soldiers were in awe,

their truth had crumbled with murderous blow

the virgins had died in a glorious radiance,

in mysterious alliance -

The truth is not what they have-

all understood

without doubt ;

They killed crusaders ,

Trampling upon the holy banner,

And the king offender of cross

Is a king of dishonor.

And understood Tiridates finally

That he was a king of vain glory,

Not a king benign

But a filthy swine

And the iron chains of his pagan heart

Broke loose and the tears as a gushing river

King started to shed in a trembling fever .

The king withdrew in his deep sorrow

To mourn his cruelty utter and sable

To regret his crime vile and ignoble.

Meanwhile in the royal house

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the kings noble sister

Had received a massage from an angel of peace

To bring up Gregory Persian ,

Who was in Deep Dungeon

Living for fifteen years .

And dispatchers went to bring St. Gregory

For his divine mission-

To heal the king from the death of darkness,

To create a new Armenia in his holy likeness.

And the holy Patriarch came

as a Moses from Sinai in divine grace,

And every one looking at him

Was blinded by the light of his face.

And the Armenian nation from all corners -

Hurried to see the glorious man in shine ,

To get its eternal healing

In the holy cross sign .

And St. Gregory was preaching to all nations

About the power of true God and His actions,

About the crucified Jesus of Nazareth,

About His Resurrection after Death.

And St. Gregory was healing all possessed and lepers ,

Blind and lame,

Paralyzed and maim-

And the nation suffering from pagan slavery

Regained its self- esteem and spirit of bravery.

And hugged the curly head of Tiridates

Our Patriarch St . Gregory -

Giving him absolution

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To all questions and worries of Armenians

Giving ultimate solution.

From now on- this nation under the holy seal

With crucified Christ is united ,

The genius mind and heart of reborn Armenians

From now on by the Holy Spirit lighted .

And the head of King Tiridates was down in shame ,

His visage always desolate and sad-

Meanwhile the holy patriarch was comforting him,

Teaching him about the mercy of God.

And St. Gregory inviting the king to his palace,

Taking up the fallen crown from ground ,

In the solemn ceremony , in a national feast

Anointed him a king sage and sound.

And a new king of new Armenia

Compiled by his hands the relics of martyred saints,

Composed a holy shrine of jubilation,

To exalt them in honor and veneration.

And appeared Lord Jesus to St. Gregory in a great vision

With a golden gavel in His hand,

Descending to the holy land of Noah the Just,

Striking on the spots ,

where the almighty God

Ordered to build churches in Martyrs trust.

And the King put on his purple mantle,

His helmet on his head,

Took the spear on his hand,

Sending couriers to all over the land

With armed legion,

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Heralding about the Holy Religion.

And the pagan priests in a great fury

Seeing their idols falling -

Attacked the people to prevent the thrill

of the holy awakening .

And destroyed King Tiridates without sorry

The foul temples of superstition, harlotry,

Chasing away from the holy land Armenia

The wizards and witches,

Blood sucker leeches.

And the renown generation of the Just Noah

Produced genius fruits of a wisdom in awe-

Not from deceitful smoke of Baal-Vaagn

As a hocus-pocus,

But from the truth of immortal and eternal Logos.

And Lord Jesus wiped out for ever the Armenian tears

In the blessing of Altar after holy martyrs;

Glorious Rhipsime, the daughter of Christ,

And her gracious teacher , Gaiane

Forty Roman nuns,

By all means

Glorified ever since .

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St Rhipsimes Cathedral (IV- VII AD) In Armenia,

In the town St. Etchmiadzin (translated The Place where Christ

Descended) , where St. Gregory saw the Vision of Christ.

St. Gaine Cathedral (IV- VII A.D), In the town St. Etchmiadzin, where St.

Gregory saw the Vision of Christ.

Khor Virap and Mount Ararat , the dungeon , where St Gregory was thrown

and kept for 15 years by the pagan king Tiridates .

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To the dungeon

The floor of the dungeon

St. Gregory Illuminator

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St. Etchmiadzin, Mother Cathedral (301 A.D)

The Holy Altar of St. Etchmiadzin

St. Rhipisme (Hripsime)

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St. Gaiane

St. Gaianes Tomb

The Baptism of King Tiridates (250-330 AD)

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Glorious Rhipsime, the daughter of Christ,

And her gracious teacher , Gaiane

Forty Roman nuns,

By all means

Glorified ever since .

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Nqueiym vm dsrves@ F9u.sumvun

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kiy8su s;vmu3 iy arvz a8n3 faskazaq3 ie 7acn h ba/aniym uevnz2 iy dae'evz a8n juea7w ue ;vnu555 Ae;an rueakal ,ae/iymiq 'v9;w mvknvz2 che faszevl oar9vliy n,anw siyeb3 veb kiy8sw iy/gun mu faeqa[iq3 xengiziq af9vlu3 salafarakun glievz ,ip,ipiyn jagw amvna8n Fa8iz ae;a8u555 Saesa.vz fandvsw3 ;aeazaq3 kaekamvz ae;an2 fasrarvz kiy8sw qvena8un t,maeriyj8iynw amvfu5 7acw anaegipw oaruq ciynu 6 ae;a h 8anueaqu555 Karapvz ae;an3 rvsaq mua8n ue oaruqw ki7irqa[3 mi9aza[ fma8;w kiy8su gvpvzkiyj8an@ gaxaniyj8amb nvrqvz@ un;w ki7irvliy oaruqw kiysiyj8an555 Vq munc k.ie've rueanal kiy8sun@ b9niyj8iynw nea dae'aq k9uq3 'v9namaer2 Naxanu kiy8sw fea,;iq ac;u a9063 u xaemans bilieu3 vr he ,oeriym fska Redarun ieovs lik555 karapu a;lieu4

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lik mu 7ix555 >,eqvzun fvjanis da/aniyj8an kipov;nvew vekajv nea seru3 iy bazqvliq d9nvew@ fisvzun gvrvew anaegvl vekna8un anmaf 0eveu555 Iy fv9azaq ae;an@ dae'a[ aeziyn;u fvpvp3 dvou anra9nvew &iseiqu2 sgaliy faqvr ue ankaeg 6 akama gaxaniyj8iynw kieiqu555 Munc Riynw ae;iynakan3 ;iy8ew &iseiqdiy7r3 ie ]eunak he fvxiyj8an3 sraniym h ipiemiyj8iynn Asr[i 6 Fev,raku oargamw fa,riyj8an2 Iy mvkniym vn@ &ie Queaouz oaej6 Geugieun fanvliy3 iye rasnfung raeu u qve aoevz na vekna8un faziq3 fev,raknveu wnkveiyj8amb fea,alu3 munc6 ie ba7rw fa8iz iy biy/iymw uevn fan'nqu555 Iy vkaq Liysaqieucw kiyeaza[ 7mbun a9a0niedvliq3 6 kiyeaniym he amvn i;3 iq na8iym he nean nea dvm;u .a8luz3 asvs@ afa mu nie Miqsvs he u0vl bae'e Suna8uz555

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Iy /ipiqiyedw Fa8iz a,7aefu bilie kipmveuz .iyja0an@ ,raoiym he rvsnvl liy8s faga[ maediyn3 ,raoiym he fasnvl fea,agie[iyj8ann ue .ekiyj8an555 Vq Liysaqieucw siyeb@ /ipiqedu mv03 feaoaeakiym kangna[3 ;aeixiym he Xieiyj8an masun Asr[i3 Faeiyj8an masun Naxiqevzu Fusiysu3 Iym ,nief;iq baxiym kap iy bieir3 kiy8e iy liysnir 7aqaea8un /ipiqiyedw fa8kakan biy/qiym he iy zn[iym iyea7iyj8amb ananzakan4 Vq gekvz Geugiew Liysaqieuc Redaru anmaedaza[ gliy7w fv[v[ip3 ie mu,r 7inaefa[ he amijuz2 laz vpaq siyebw nea fvr3 girvondvz mafiy fiysafar ae;a8un@ ,aeiynak iysiyzanvliq ipiemiyj8an masun asrqa[a8un555 Iy feaquevliq ae;a8un oalar@ ue 'v9;iq siyeb Geugiew devz ae;a8akan jagw Redaru 7inaefa[ gl7un iy nean mvknvz jagaqieakan ]efna[ [ueanun555 Iy masiyn;nvew siyeb kiysanaz Fa8iz Ae;an un;w faqa;vliq@ am.i.iym he iy ka9iyziym vkvpvzunve a8nrvp3

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iye Liysaqieucw Fa8e rvsulw rvsaq Mua[un Asr[i2 veb Fusiys >ekucw Un;w u0nvliq fa8iz fipun2 iskv miyetw xaenvliq@ fum; devz Siyeb H0mua[nu Fa8eaovrakan Aji9un4 Iy a9aq Redar Ae;an ue sapaqaern iy nuxakw@ Liysaqiecu ;afana8akan ]efniyj8amb2 iy faniyn t,maeur Asr[i suei ma;evz vekuew fa8iz migveu [vsveuz anbaei4 :andvz saesa.u gae, mvf8annvew3 k9qvz d6veu dvm@ muaza[ /ipiqedun2 siyefandaknve iypaekvz vekeu bilie kipmvew siyeb keinu wndiynman masun4 Iy [nqvzun umasriyj8an fantaeu xaqaknvew fa8iz2 ic jv vpvgan .ipuz3 ic jv [iy7 iy bizuz ieovs Qafagn siyr xieiyj8iyn2 a8l ieovs kvndanu Asr[i Siyeb Figiy ankipioiyr /a9angiyj8iyn4 A8sovs nie k8an;u gaeiynw vkaq Fa8iz fun andasraniym2 iy [apkvz Baeiy [a9w oriypnveiq anfarniym555 A8sovs Fa8iz A,7aefw feaqueqvliq Rinun vekna8un Faesanvaz3

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ta,akvz Svpanuz anmaf >vsa8u2 baev7isiyj8amb@ ;a9asiyn maerueis a8n siyeb kiysanaz2 qanama8ew umasriyn@ 7earariy Siyeb Ga8anvn3 6 anmi9analu 7acakue diysren a8n@ c;nap F9u.sumvn555 Vq ciynu faqasae a8l mu gan' Fa8iz Andasranw3 ;an masiyn;u qea neanz 7i8aza[ Siyeb &ieanw4