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{{orientalchurches}}
The '''Church of Aran''' or Arran(Azeri: Əran 'Land of Warriors', Ər - 'warrior/man', an - 'land' ; Greek: Αράν), also known as Church of Caucasian Albania in the western sources, is an one of the oldest church churches in the world. It is an [[Autocephaly|Autocephalous Orthodox Church]] and was first established by the Holy [[Apostle Bartholomew ]] in Baku, and then by St.[[Elisha of Arran|Elisha ]] in the village of Kish, north of Azerbaijan. It was a sister [[church]] of amalgamated with the [[Church of Armenia|Armenian Orthodox Church]] and the [[Church of Georgia|Georgian Orthodox Church]] in Transcaucasia that eventually joined the [[Oriental Orthodox]] communion before dying out after the gradual Islamisation of population and its further amalgamation with the Church of Armenia in 1836, when the tsar Tsar Nicolas I of Russia signed "the The Decree on managing the affairs of the Armenian-Gregorian Church in Russia" ("Положение о управлении делами Армяно-Григорианской церкви в России"). The Church of Arran Aran was re-established in Azerbaijan in 2003 as the Church of Caucasian Albania-Udi. In 2013 during 1700-th 1700th anniversary of establishing christianity Christianity in Azerbaijan, the grand opening of the Church of Arran Aran took place in the village of Nij.
==Early history==
The original name of Azerbaijan (for both North and South) was Caspiane according to Strabo (book 11, chapter 2, section 15), which is also referred to Caspian Mountains (Caucasian Mountains) and Caspian Sea : "According to Eratosthenes, the Caucasus is called "Caspius" by the natives, the name being derived perhaps from the 'Caspii'". Subsequent invasions, split Caspiane into two distinctive entities Atropatene in south, and later Aran in north. Then Caspiane became a little province along the Caspian shores, which later was incorporated into Aran.The kingdom of ArranAran, better known in English as 'Caucasian Albania' (Latin - Albānia, Greek - Αλβανεια),' is said to have been first evangelized by the Holy [[Apostle Bartholomew]] and a [[disciple]] of St. [[Apostle Jude|Thaddeus]], St. [[Elisha of Arran|Elisha]], who is called the 'Apostle of ArranAran.' The nation as a whole did not convert until shortly after the conversion of neighboring Armenia, with into Christianity when the Arsacid King [[Urnayr]] being of Aran was [[baptism|baptized]] by St. [[Gregory the Enlightener|Gregory the Illuminator]] in 313.
In 330, a grandson of St. Gregory, St. Grigoris, became the first [[bishop]] and [[Catholicos]] of ArranAran, which included much of modern day Azerbaijan, south South Dagestan and east East Armenia. St. Grigoris was [[martyr]]ed in 338 while preaching in Dagestan, but his [[relics]] were rescued by his disciples and kept at the Amaras Monastery in western Arran (west West Azerbaijan). In the following years the position of the Catholicate strengthened, being established at the Arranian capital Qabala.
In the 600s Arran seventh century Aran regained its independence under King JevanshirJavanshir, but then quickly fell to the Arab [[Muslim]]s not long after their conquest of the Sassanian Empire. Beginning in the 700s the kingdom's new Arab rulers began forcibly converting sections of the population to [[Islam]]. This, coupled with the proximity Under influence of Armenia to the westArmenian Catholicos, the Arranian catholicoses acceptance of Caliphate forced the Aranian Catholicos to accept the supremacy of the catholicoses of Echmiadzin. During this period, and the later turkification of the population would eventually lead to the almost complete extinction many of the Arranian nation Holy books and scriptures were confiscated and destroyed by the dissolution Church of Armenia to subdue the Arranian Churchof Arran.
During the catholicate of Catholicos Nerses I overtures were made to the East Roman Empire regarding the acceptance of the [[Fourth Ecumenical Council|Council of Chalcedon]] by the Church of ArranAran, but this was met with outrage by the hierarchy and nobility of the country, who appealed to Catholicos Sion I (Bavonatsi) of All the Armenians for help. In response Catholicos Sion convened a council in Partav that rejected Nerses' Christology, confirmed the Church's adherence to the Christological teachings of St. [[Cyril of Alexandria]], and enacted [[canon]]s concerning [[marriage]].
Although the Council of Partav Barda upheld the Christology of the Church it at the same time it seriously weakened its [[autocephaly]], especially as the Armenians enjoyed greater favor with the caliphs as a consequence of the council. (The Caliphate had feared that Arran Aran would become an ally of the East Roman Empire if it accepted Chalcedon.) At the Partav Barda Council it was decreed that thereafter the Catholicos of Arran Aran would be [[enthronement|enthroned]] by the Catholicos of All the Armenians. In the aftermath of the Council , the remnants of the Arranian nation Christian population was gradually disappearedabsorbed, those converted to Islam eventually disappearing into what became merged with their ethnic brothers - the larger Muslim Azeri people population, and those who remained faithful to Orthodoxy eventually becoming one with their joined the Armenian coreligionistsand Georgian Churches. The recent DNA analysis of the Armenians in Qarabag (Arsak), though Arranian continued to be spoken into and eastern part of the Republic of Armenia confirms that theory. Their DNA showed closer ties with the neighbouring Azeri population than the 1200sArmenians living across Middle East.
==Later history==
In the 1300s the Catholicate transferred its seat from the Amaras Monastery to the Gandzasar Monastery, becoming known thereafter as the Catholicate of Gandzasar. By this time the Catholicate only retained [[jurisdiction]] over the historic west Azerbaijan provinces of Utik, Arsak and Sunik Syunik as well as the small number of Orthodox living between these provinces and the Caspian Sea. When the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia fell to the Mamelukes there was thought of merging the Catholicate of All the Armenians, which had moved to Cilicia in the 900s, with the Catholicate of Gandzasar, but it was decided instead to return the Catholicate to its original seat in Echmiadzin.
The Gandzasar Catholicate rose in prominence again in the early 1700s under Catholicos Yesai (Jalalian). During this period its catholicos was recognized as the sole representative of the Arranian and Armenian Orthodox Church Churches by the Russian Empire. In 1805 Russia Empire invaded Azerbaijan and took control of all its territories were taken from Persia by Russia, however, and in 1815 the tsars lowered the rank of the catholicos to metropolitan in response to pressure from the Catholicos-Patriarch of Echmiadzinand pro-armenian policy within the imperial court. The Metropolitan of Gandzasar nevertheless retained jurisdiction over the canonical territory of the Catholicate until 1836, when an imperial decree abolished the remnants of the Church of Arran altogether and reorganized them as a [[diocese]] directly under the authority of Echmiadzin.
==Church today==
==List of the heads of the Church==
*[http://www.gandzasar.com/ Gandzasar Monastery of St. John the Baptist] (Official Website)
*[http://baku.eparhia.ru/history/albania/ The History of Christianity in Caucasian Albania] (Eparchy of Baku)
*[http://www.pravoslavie.ru/put/070126150112.htm Orthodoxy in Azerbaijan] (Pravoslavie)
*[http://en.trend.az/news/society/2176682.html Azerbaijan celebrates 1700th anniversary] (Trend.az)
*[http://www.science.org.ge/moambe/2007-vol1/161-166.pdf The Arranian alphabet] Bulletin of Georgian National Academy of Science
*[http://www.korpu.net/BibleNorth.html The Holy Bible in Azerbaijani] Korpu.net
*[http://udi.az The Udis in Azerbaijan] Udi.az
*[https://caspianrepublic.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/ancient-caspian-cross-and-caspians.html The Ancient Caspian Cross] History
[[Category:Jurisdictions]]
[[Category:Oriental Orthodox]]