Commemoration day of Sts. Klemes and Bagrat

Today Armenian Apostolic Church marks the commemoration day of the Pontiff St. Klemes and Bishop St. Bagrat of Toromena.

Pontiff St. Klemes (Clement) is known as the first among the “Apostolic Fathers” by means of whose works we become aware of the traditions, every-day life of the Christians, theology and church history of the first-second centuries AD.

Klemes met the Apostle St. Paul in Rome, thanks whose preaching he was baptized, ordained and became the Bishop of Rome in 92 AD. He is the author of the 85 canons known as “Second Apostolic Canons” or “Canons of Klemes”.

There is very little information about St. Klemes in “Haysmavourk”. He was taken to the King Dioclethianus, and courageously confessed the divine nature of Christ. He was martyred in 98 AD, when stones were put around the saint’s neck and he was thrown into the sea.

Bishop St. Bagrat of Toromena (Taormina) was the illuminator of Silikia. Being the disciple of the Apostle St. Paul and being ordained by the Apostle, he was sent to Silikia. Later he became the Bishop of Toromena. Thanks to his preaching he managed to put an end to idolatry in Toromena. However, once one of the rich citizens of the town, who was a determined heathen swabbed the saint while he was praying. The mayor punished the murderer, and the saint’s remains were buried with all honors in the tabernacle “in order to be intercessor and helper for all of us”.