Formation and Manifestations of the Cult of Relics in the Armenian Context (The Case of the Veneration of the Relics of Saint Stephen)

The relevance of addressing questions related to the cultural specificity of cultic practices stems from the significant role they play within faith communities and in commemorative practices that bind these communities through shared meanings and values. The aim of this study is to reconstruct the characteristics and cultural significance of the formation of the cult of relics in the Armenian milieu, focusing on the example of the veneration of the relics of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr (Πρωτομάρτυρας Στέφανος). To achieve this goal, the following objectives were set: 1) to identify the historical origins of this cult; 2) to trace its geographical distribution; 3) to describe its liturgical and pilgrimage forms; 4) to establish the nature of the interaction between its religious, social, and cultural functions; and 5) to demonstrate how the veneration of relics influenced the behavior of believers and the formation of communal identity. The research materials include written sources such as hagiographies, historical and polemical works, field materials, as well as oral traditions reflecting the veneration of St. Stephen's relics in the Armenian cultural and religious environment. The study employs an integrated methodological approach combining the biographical method, historical-documentary analysis, comparative-contextual research, and cultural-religious interpretation. As a result of the case study of St. Stephen's relics, the research identifies the fundamental features of the veneration of holy remains in the Armenian context, where the cult of relics emerged as a vital element of religious and cultural life and a factor in national consolidation. Conclusions: 1) The transfer of the cult of Saint Stephen to Armenia occurred in the 4th century, immediately following the Armenian conversion to Christianity, as evidenced by the existence of corresponding church structures. 2) The cult is widespread in both Eastern and Western Armenia. 3) The liturgical and pilgrimage forms of the veneration of Saint Stephen are linked to traditional prayer practices common to Christianity, as well as customs of folk piety (supplications for healing and fertility). 4) The religious, social, and cultural functions of the cult were closely intertwined. 5) The most active expansion of this cult occurred during the 16th–18th centuries, predominantly in "contact zones" with different cultural and religious neighbors; this supports the hypothesis regarding the protective role of monasteries dedicated to St. Stephen as centers for the consolidation of the Armenian population.

1. Adzhemian, M. I. and Petrova, Yu. A. (2020) ‘Features of Cultural and Religious Traditions of the Armenian People’, Science Almanac of Black Sea Region Countries, 23(3), pp. 102–106. https://doi. org/10.23947/2414-1143-2020-23-3-102-106

2. Aleksandrova, E. A. (2015) ‘Religious Identity in Russian Cultural Anthropological Research’, Culture and Civilization, (6), pp. 10–22. (In Russian).

3. Alimbarashvili, I. (2015) ‘Political and Social Aspects of Relations Between Georgia and the North Caucasus Peoples’, Gulani (Linguistics, Literature Studies, History and Education), 16(16), pp. 86–98. (In Georgian).

4. Antonyan, Y. (2011) ‘Religiosity and religious identity in Armenia: Some current models and developments’, Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 56(2), pp. 315–332. https://doi.org/10.1556/AEthn.56.2011.2.4

5. Arutyunova-Fidanyan, V. (2016) ‘Christianization as a stage in the development of Armenia’s civilization’, St.Tikhons’ University Review. Series III. Philology, 49(4), pp. 9–23. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.15382/ sturIII201649.9-23

6. Avetisyan, L. (2018a) ‘Lmbatavank (st. Stephanos Church of Lmpat)’, in Faculty of Theology Yearbook 2017. Yerevan: YSU Publ., pp. 217–224. (In Armenian).

7. Avetisyan, L. (2018b) ‘St. Stephanos: The Protomartyr’s Image in Medieval Armenian Literature and Folklore’, Haigazian Armenological Review, 38, pp. 131–142. (In Armenian).

8. Geertz, C. (1993) ‘Religion as a cultural system’, in The interpretation of cultures. London: Fontana Press, pp. 87–125.

9. Iakovov, D. V. (2022) ‘Christianity and the National Identity of the Nenets’, Issues of Theology, 4(2), pp. 299–308. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu28.2022.209

10. Ivanovskaya, O. (2011) ‘Religious Renaissance and Search for New Identity’, Observatory of Culture, (4), pp. 93–98. (In Russian).

11. Jalalyants, S. (2016) Trip to Great Armenia. Yerevan: DALL. (In Armenian).

12. Khachidze, L. (2016) ‘Stephen, the First Martyr, and Georgian Christian Culture’, The Kartvelologist - A Bilingual Peer-Reviewed, Academic Journal of Georgian Studies, 25, pp. 151–172.

13. Kharitonov-Tanevsky, A. D. (2026) ‘The Religious Traditions of the Abrahamic Religions in the Paradigm of Everyday Life’, Society: Philosophy, History, Culture, (2), pp. 73–78. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.24158/ fik.2026.2.8

14. Kolesnik, M. V. (2021) ‘Transpartation of Modern Culture’, in Vizual’nyye obrazy sovremennoy kul’tury:

15. tsvet v kul’ture i religii [Visual Images of Contemporary Culture: Color in Culture and Religion]. Omsk: OmGU Publ., pp. 25–28. (In Russian).

16. Krylov, A. N. (2012) Religioznaya identichnost’. Individual’noye i kollektivnoye samosoznaniye v postindustrial’nom prostranstve [Religious Identity: Individual and Collective Self-Consciousness in the PostIndustrial Space]. Moscow: Ikar Publ. (In Russian).