Armenia is a small country with a population of about three million. Located in the Transcaucasus. The Republic of Armenia was founded in the IV-II centuries BC, it is rich in its traditions, history, culture and religious beliefs.
The religion of Armenia is very diverse. It includes Christianity, Islam, Yezidism, and Frangi. Most of the inhabitants of Armenia are believers. It is believed that the most widespread religion is Christianity.
Christianity in Armenia
About 94% of the total population preaches Christianity and belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. This church is one of the oldest in the world. Few people know that Armenia is the first Christian state in the world: in 301, faith in the Heavenly King and his son Christ became the state religion of the country. Bartholomew and Thaddeus are considered the first preachers here.
In 404, the Armenian alphabet was created, and in the same year the Bible was translated into Armenian, and in 506 the Armenian Church officially separated from the Byzantine Church, which significantly influenced the further history of the state, its political and social activities.
Catholicism in Armenia
But Christianity is not the only religion whose adherents live in Armenia. There are communities of the Armenian Catholic Church (there are about 36 parishes in total), which are called "Franks". Franks (or Frangi) live in Northern Armenia. Initially, they appeared together with the crusaders, but later, in the 16-19 centuries, they began to call the Armenian Catholics Franks. Armenian-Franks are divided into three groups:
- HBO-francs, - has-francs, - mschetsi-francs.
The division of Catholics is not associated with the peculiarities of religious beliefs, it is associated with the place of residence of the adherents of this faith.
Islam in Armenia
There are also followers of Islam living in Armenia, although it should be noted that this religion is mainly professed by Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Persians. In the capital - Yerevan - the famous Blue Mosque is located. It was built in 1766 and at the beginning of the 20th century was one of the seven active mosques in the capital. This beautiful building is not only religious in nature. It is also a symbol of interfaith friendship.
Other religions
There are also Armenian Evangelicals who left the Apostolic Church because they believed that its teachings and traditions did not correspond to the Bible. Among the Armenians, pseudo-Protestant sectarianism, Hemshils and Hanafi Sunniism are also widespread. Some Armenians deny God and are members of the atheist society.
Despite all the diversity of religion, it is worth considering the fact that God is one in all faiths and teachings, although he has different names and names.
Christianity has embraced most of the inhabitants of the Earth, not leaving Armenia aside. It was Christianity that played an important role in the fate of the republic when it lost its independence. In fact, the Christian church had to take over part of the state power, which allowed it to preserve the ethnos and unique culture of the state.
