St Gregory of Narek
Proclaimed Doctor of the Church
Ignatius Maloyan
Centenary of His Martyrdom

Gregory of Narek (950 – 1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. The son of a bishop, Gregory was educated, ordained, and later stationed at Narekavank on the southern shores of Lake Van (modern Turkey). Scholars consider Gregory the most beloved and significant theological and literary figure of the Armenian religious tradition. He is best known for his Book of Lamentations, a significant piece of mystical literature, a confessional prayer book in many Armenian religious households. His works have inspired many Armenian literary figures and influenced the Armenian literature in general throughout the ages. Gregory was buried inside the walls of the monastery of Narek. A rectangular-shaped chapel-mausoleum was built on his tomb which survived until the mid-20th century, when the monastery, abandoned in the aftermath of the Armenian genocide, was destroyed by the Turkish authorities, and later replaced with a mosque. Gregory is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015. Catholics celebrate his feast day on February 27th. Ignatius Maloyan (8 April,1869 – 11 June 1915) was the Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Mardin between 1911 and 1915 when he fell victim to the Armenian Genocide. He was Beatified by Pope John Paul II as a martyr in 2001. Beginning in the 1880s, a campaign to suppress Armenians in the far eastern part of the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) led to the 1915 Armenian Massacres. Systematic persecution led to an estimated 1 million casualties and hundreds of thousands exiled. Men were conscripted as forced labor, women, children, the elderly and infirmed were expelled into the Syrian Desert on death marches. The Republic of Turkey (established 1923) refuses to call these events "genocide," terming them wartime "relocations". BI. Ignatius Maloyan was Bishop of Mardin, Turkey, also located in the far eastern portion of Turkey. During the Ottoman persecutions, Maloyan, along with Christians of his city were force-marched into the desert. The Mardin police chief offered to spare Maloyan's life if he would renounce his Christian faith. Bishop Maloyan replied, "I've told you I shall live and die for the sake of my faith and religion. I take pride in the Cross of my God and Lord." On 11 June 2015 Ignatius Maloyan and 300 other men were systematically executed. A miniature sheet acknowledges St. Gregory of Narek as a Doctor of the Church and marks the centenary of the martyrdom of BI. Ignatius Maloyan. The mini sheet contains two €1,00 stamps of St. Gregory Narek and BI. Ignatius Maloyan. In addition, a khachkar (a carved Armenian cross with intricate designs) is depicted on the mini sheet. Technical Details: Scott Catalogue - 1595 - 1595M Date Issued - 02 September 2015 Face Value - 2 @ €1,00 Perforations - 13.66x13.77 Printing Process - Offset Printer - Printex (Malta) Max Printed - 100,000

(Source - Vatican Notes: Volume: 63 Issue: 366 Page: 4-6 en.wikipedia.org)