His Eminence Archbishop Husik Santurian Enters Eternal Rest
1/2/2011
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
It is with profound sorrow that the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informs our faithful that on February 1, His Eminence Archbishop Husik Santurian, entered his eternal rest. He was the senior member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin. He was 91. His Eminence Archbishop has been under the compassionate care of doctors and the nuns from the Monastery of St. Gayane until the time of his death.
Archbishop Husik Santourian (baptismal name Azat) was born in 1920 in the city of Sebastia (Turkey). He lost his parents when he was 5 years old and grew up in Jebale (Lebanon) under the care of the “Trtchnots Buyn” children’s home of Miss Yagobson. He completed his education and stayed at the Jebale’s children’s home in 1935 and moved to the German Children’s home in Jerusalem to take courses in mechanical arts. He graduated from there in 1938.
He worked as a teacher and a clerk in Jerusalem from 1939 until 1945.
In 1947 he immigrated to Armenia and up until 1953 worked in different organizations by his profession.
In 1953 he entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He graduated from the Seminary in 1955 and was ordained to the diaconate.
He was ordained as a celibate priest in February of 1956 and given the priestly name of Husik. After his ordination, he was appointed to serve as the director of the art collections of the Mother See.
In 1959 he received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet).
In 1961 he left Armenia to serve as the Armenian Primate of the Diocese of Baku, Azerbaijan.
In October, 1962 he was consecrated as a Bishop by His Holiness Vasken I. He was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Vasken I.
In 1965 he was appointed to serve as the assistant of the Grand Sacristan of the Mother Cathedral.
Since 1972, he served at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin as the Grand Sacristan of the Mother Cathedral until 2000.
For his devoted service, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians granted him the Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator of the Armenian Church.
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and the members of the Brother deeply mourn the loss of the merited Archbishop.
On February 2, 18:00, a Church service will be offered in the Monastery of St. Gayane. On February 3, 10:30, Divine Liturgy will be celebrated during which last rites and interment services will be offered. Following the Divine Liturgy burial service will be conducted. He will be interred in the monastic cemetery.
Blessed be the memory of the righteous.
