Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II has visited Amaras Monastery, which is situated close to the new line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), where he was greeted by the residents of nearby communities and the military personnel. He was accompanied by former President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan.

The Catholicos embarked on a three-day trip to Artsakh on Friday, June 4 and took the relics of the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator, for the blessing and consolation of the people of Artsakh. Karekin II also blessed the servicemen who were attending the prayer and learned more about the reconstruction of the monastery.

In the church of St. Grigoris, the Catholicos served a ceremony in memory of the soldiers who died in the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan in fall 2020. A prayer was raised for the peace and protection of Artsakh, as well as for the mercy and protection of the sons of Armenia, Artsakh and the entire Armenian nation.

Then the patriarchal delegation visited the Machkalashen community, where Karekin II met with the families of the Armenians killed in hostilities.