Simeon I of Yerevan

Life & Legacy

Simeon I of Yerevan (Armenian: Սիմէոն Ա Երեւանցի; 1710–1780), also known as Simeon Yerevantsi, served as the Catholicos of All Armenians between 1763 and 1780.
Before his pontificate, he served as a representative of Etchmiadzin in Constantinople, New Julfa, and Madras. After becoming catholicos in 1763, he took measures to reassert Etchmiadzin's primacy over other sees of the Armenian church. According to historian Rouben Paul Adalian, the pontificate of Simeon I of Yerevan marked the reemergence of Etchmiadzin (present-day Vagharshapat) as a "truly important center of Armenian national affairs". In 1771, he founded the first printing press in Armenia at Etchmiadzin Cathedral as a part of his efforts to extend Etchmiadzin's authority. He also acted against the spread of Catholicism among Armenians, using methods that the historian Leo called "inquisitorial". He also polemicized against Catholics in his written works.
Simeon opposed the activities of Joseph Emin and Shahamir Shahamirian, two Armenians from India who envisioned the reestablishment of an independent Armenian state. However, he was not against Armenia coming under the rule of a Christian power. For that reason, he established relations with the court of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. He sent a letter to Catherine in 1766, and in 1768 the Empress restored Etchmiadzin's authority over the Russian diocese of the Armenian Church.
Simeon I is the author of religious, philosophical, and historical works. Notable among these is the work Jambr, which was written as a part of his efforts to increase Etchmiadzin's authority. In another one of his works, he asserts the role of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin "as the sole spiritual sole spiritual head or representative of the [Armenian] nation." He also added to and reformed the calendar of the Armenian church, seeking to create uniformity in church rituals and ceremonies.