The ordination and anointing of the Catholicos is a unique liturgical tradition of the Armenian Church. The office of the Catholicos is not merely a spiritual highest rank or title, as in the case of leaders of other churches, but rather an important value and a unique symbol for the Armenian statehood, nation, and homeland. Its recognition, devotion, and obedience are a sacred duty for every Armenian Christian.
Over the centuries, the ordination and anointing of the Catholicos has undergone various stages of development. A complete understanding of the procedure can be formed starting from the 14th century, as the oldest rules for the ordination of the Catholicos are recorded in the manuscripts of the “Mashtots” liturgical books from that period. According to these and other sources, there are similarities, differences and peculiarities in the order of granting of the Catholicos’ vestments and liturgical items.
The spiritual and cultural values represented by the vestments and liturgical items of the clergy that have reached us today carry their own significance and meaning. The spiritual leader of the Armenian Church – the Catholicos of All Armenians – has unique vestments and liturgical items that distinguish the figure of the Catholicos and his role in the Church, as well as in the liturgical and national life. The liturgical vestments and items of the Catholicos constitute the spiritual and national cultural heritage of the Armenian Church and serve as an inseparable part in strengthening our identity and national value system.