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<center>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/545.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/546.jpg'>
<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/547.jpg'> 
Saint Nerses Shnorali, 8th Centenary of Death 
25 L stamp: Church of Saint Hripsime, Armenia 
Scott 545-547 (1973)</center> 
Armenia is often identified as the first nation to adopt Christianity, sometimes vying with Malta for that honor. It is said that the Apostles St. Bartholomew and Thaddeus (Jude) preached the Gospel in Armenia. The Christianization of Armenia is also associated with St. Gregory the Illuminator (ca. 257-311) who baptized the king, Tiridates III, and the royal court in 301. The rest of the nation followed that example shortly thereafter.
 
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<img height='325' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/St._Hripseme.jpg'> 
"Saint Hripsime" by Hovnatan Hovnatanian 
Saint Hripsime Church, Vagharshapat, Armenia 
From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative 
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license</center>
 
St. Hripsime and her 35 companions were dedicated virgins. She was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world at that time and attracted the attention of the emperor, Diocletian (284-305). She fled Rome for Alexandria, and then traveled to Armenia. They were martyred in ca. 290 because they refused the advances of both King Tiridates III and Diocletian. She was tortured, drawn, and quartered; her companions were run through with swords and then thrown to wild beasts.
 
The 4th century Church of St. Hripsime, in Vagharshapat, Armenia was featured on the Vatican City stamp shown at the top of the article (Scott 545, 1973). The Church was built on the orders of King Tiridates (himself a later convert to Christianity) on the garden spot where Saint Hripsime was said to have been martyred. Here is a photo of the church, taken in 2021:
 
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<img height='325' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Hripsime_Church_drone_2021.3.jpg'> 
Church of Saint Hripsime 
Photo by Yerevantsi 
From Wikimedia Commons 
Used by permission under the terms of the Creative 
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license</center>
 
The stamp set show above also includes an image of Saint Nerses Shnorali (d. 1173), a writer, poet, and composer of hymns, honored on the 800th anniversary of his death. Another stamp was issued, in 2023, remembering the 850th anniversary of his death. He was featured in a Dally Email on October 2, which can be accessed by clicking on the link in the references below.
 
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<img height='225' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1832.jpg'> 
Saint Nerses Shnorali, 850th Anniversary of Death 
Scott 1832 (2023)</center>
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Beutner, Dawn Marie, Saints: Becoming an Image of Christ Every Day of the Year 
<li>Hamilton, James C., Vatican Notes, Volume 64, Number 368, pp. 32-35, 2016, <a href= 'http://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=64-368-32-33&r=0'>The Vatican and Armenia: A Philatelic Journey</a>
<li>Caracci, Peter, Vatican Philatelic Society, Daily Email, October 2, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/cms/P2view.php?id=334163'>Saint Nerses Shnorali</a>
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

<!--CARD
Saint Hripsime and Companions
545
Read about this 4th century Armenian Saint by <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/cms/P2view.php?id=333286'>clicking here.</a>

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