Pope Francis visits pit where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned

Pontiff concludes apostolic visit to Armenia at Khor Virap Monastery

ARMENIA — Two small stairways lead down to the room where St. Gregory’s pit is located. It is here, in one of the Armenian Church’s most sacred places, that Francis concluded his trip. We are less than 50 kilometers from Yerevan, near the (closed) border with Turkey, at the foot of Biblical Mount Ararat. There was once a fortress here, where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in a pit for thirteen years by King Tiridates III, persecutor of Christians.

In 301, having fallen seriously ill and after being cured through the intercession of Gregory, the king converted to Christianity along with his whole family and proclaimed all of Armenia a Christian nation. It was the first nation to become Christian. St. Gregory’s prison was transformed into a monastery, which in the 12th century hosted a renowned seminary and an important study and training center.

A church was built above the pit — which runs 6.5 meters deep into the subsoil — becoming a national pilgrimage destination. The complex, which is under the jurisdiction of St. Etchmiadzin, was struck by a violent earthquake in 1679. It had to be rebuilt on a number of occasions, until the structure we see today was built in the 19th century. John Paul II visited it on September 27, 2001 at the end of his three-day trip to Armenia.

After being welcomed by the monastery’s superior, the Pope and the Catholicos made their way down the small stairs to the room where St. Gregory’s pit is located. There they lit a candle.

They then entered the adjacent chapel in procession and recited a prayer in Armenian and another in Italian. Finally, the Pope and Karekin went out onto the terrace overlooking Ararat and released two doves in the direction of the Biblical mountain which is now beyond the border in Turkey.

From here, Francis went directly to Yerevan airport to board the return flight to Rome.