Khor Virap

Խոր Վիրապ

King Artashes I, founder of the Artashesid dynasty, established his Armenian capital at Artashat (also known as Artaxtisata) around 180 BC. It is believed that Hannibal, the Carthaginian General who was persecuted by Rome, was also instrumental in establishing Artashat.Artashat remained the capital of the dynasty till the reign of King Khosrov III (330–339) when it was moved to Dvin.Subsequently, Artashat was destroyed by the Persian King Shapur II. Artashat is close to the hillock of Khor Virap. Until its chapel was built, Khor Virap was used as royal prison.

When King Tiridates III ruled over Armenia, his assistant was the Christian Grigor (Gregory) Lusavorich who preached the Christian religion. However, Tiridates, a pagan was not pleased and he subjected Gregory to severe torture. When news reached the king that Gregory's fatherAnak the Parthian was responsible for the murder of the king's father, the king ordered that Gregory's hand and legs be tied and that he be thrown into the Khor Virap to die in the dark dungeon located in Artashat. In addition, Gregory's refusal to offer sacrifice to the goddessAnahita provoked the king to torture him and condemn him to imprisonment in the Khor Virap He was then forgotten and the King pursued his wars and persecution of Christians. However, Gregory did not die during his 13 years of imprisonment. His survival was attributed to a Christian widow from the local town who, under the influence of strange dream vision, regularly fed Gregory by dropping a loaf of freshly baked bread into the pit.

During this period, the Roman Emperor Diocletian wanted to marry a beautiful girl and he sent others to search for the most beautiful woman. They found a girl named Rhipsime in Rome who was under the tutelage of Abbess Gaiaine in a Christian nunnery. When Rhipsime heard about the king's marriage proposal, she fled to Armenia to avoid the marriage. After a search was launched to locate the girl and punish the people who had helped her to escape, Tiridates located Rhipsime and brought her forcibly to his palace, trying to woo her. He was not successful against the strong defence put up by Rhipsime. He then ordered that she be dragged into his presence by putting a collar around her neck in hopes to persuade Rhipsime to agree to marry him.