There is a narrative in Armenian historical memory that precedes and rivals the genocide in shaping the Armenian national worldview. Yesterday was the Feast of St. Vardan & the Vardanian martyrs. How has Vardanants shaped Armenian thought and identity throughout history? (1/8)
The commander Vardan Mamikonian is remembered for leading the revolt against Sasanian Persia, which had demanded the Armenian nobility to denounce their Christian faith and convert to Zoroastrianism. At the Battle of Avarayr (451 CE), Vardan and his companions are martyred (2/8)
The commander Vardan Mamikonian is remembered for leading the revolt against Sasanian Persia, which had demanded the Armenian nobility to denounce their Christian faith and convert to Zoroastrianism. At the Battle of Avarayr (451 CE), Vardan and his companions are martyred (2/8)
The commander Vardan Mamikonian is remembered for leading the revolt against Sasanian Persia, which had demanded the Armenian nobility to denounce their Christian faith and convert to Zoroastrianism. At the Battle of Avarayr (451 CE), Vardan and his companions are martyred (2/8)
But it is considered a moral victory, one of perseverance against all odds. The Armenians eventually win the right to keep their faith. Narratives of the event are heavily colored by Christian hagiographical themes and Armenian & Iranian epic traditions. (3/8)
It’s perhaps the earliest narrative of sanctified warfare or holy war, a theme that would become increasingly prevalent in Christian and later Islamic literature. The Shia Muslim account of the Battle of Karbala & its impact on the Shia worldview comes closest in comparison (4/8)
It’s perhaps the earliest narrative of sanctified warfare or holy war, a theme that would become increasingly prevalent in Christian and later Islamic literature. The Shia Muslim account of the Battle of Karbala & its impact on the Shia worldview comes closest in comparison (4/8)
It’s perhaps the earliest narrative of sanctified warfare or holy war, a theme that would become increasingly prevalent in Christian and later Islamic literature. The Shia Muslim account of the Battle of Karbala & its impact on the Shia worldview comes closest in comparison (4/8)
In the age of print, literature about the Battle of Avarayr was widely printed & played a major role in the formation of modern Armenian national identity, lit. & historical memory. This 18th-century constitution from India, envisioning a future Armenia, recounts Avarayr (5/8)
In the age of print, literature about the Battle of Avarayr was widely printed & played a major role in the formation of modern Armenian national identity, lit. & historical memory. This 18th-century constitution from India, envisioning a future Armenia, recounts Avarayr (5/8)
In the age of print, literature about the Battle of Avarayr was widely printed & played a major role in the formation of modern Armenian national identity, lit. & historical memory. This 18th-century constitution from India, envisioning a future Armenia, recounts Avarayr (5/8)
An Ottoman-Armenian play by Smpad Piurad (1862-1915), *The Eagle of Avarayr or the Vardanians,*uses the historical setting and the characters of the Vardanians in making references to Abdul Hamid II’s brutal rule, women’s liberation & Armenian national identity. (6/8)
An Ottoman-Armenian play by Smpad Piurad (1862-1915), *The Eagle of Avarayr or the Vardanians,*uses the historical setting and the characters of the Vardanians in making references to Abdul Hamid II’s brutal rule, women’s liberation & Armenian national identity. (6/8)
An Ottoman-Armenian play by Smpad Piurad (1862-1915), *The Eagle of Avarayr or the Vardanians,*uses the historical setting and the characters of the Vardanians in making references to Abdul Hamid II’s brutal rule, women’s liberation & Armenian national identity. (6/8)
Poem: Hovhannes Shiraz about the Lisbon 5. Ctesiphon=Sasanian capital. Oppressors of the Vardanians are equated with the “Turk”

“Remember Armenians, how in Ctesiphon,
Yesterday Ctesiphon, today Lisbon,
…
Come, that Vardan of Avarayr
Becomes the curse of the savage Turk.” (7/8)
To this day, the story of St. Vardan and the martyrs at Avarayr continues to frame the Armenian worldview as well as discourses on national identity, patriotism, communal boundaries, diasporan anxieties, and so forth. (8/8)
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