The Armenian Church through the centuries

"The book recounts the history of one of the most ancient of Christian denominations. The Armenian Apostolic Church has direct links back to the apostles; it has remained true to its inherited early Eastern Christian traditions and in its wisdom has remained close to its people. The authors of this unique volume have received permission to photograph not only the Armenian monasteries and the services conducted in them, but also the most sacred of Christian relics, currently preserved in their treasures houses. These include part of the Tree of the Holy Cross and the Holy Spear sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ; the hand of the apostle Thaddeus and the hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator; and parchment Gospels, decorated by some of the greatest of Armenian artists, including the particularly revered Thoros Roslin. The superb photographs were taken by the authors in the Holy Land during the 2000th celebrations of the Nativity of Christ; in Armenia, as the country celebrated the 1700th anniversary of the Armenian Church and also in Western Armenia, Cilicia, Jordan and Iran. The illustrations blend with the simplicity of the text to enable the reader to look afresh at the road which the Armenian Apostolic Church and its people have traveled since Armenia converted to Christianity in 301 A.D."--