As of 2011, mostArmenians inArmenia areChristians (97%)[2] and are members of theArmenian Apostolic Church, which is a member of the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches. It was founded in the 1st century AD, and in 301 AD became the first branch ofChristianity to become astate religion.
Approximately 98.1% of the country's population is ethnicallyArmenian, the vast majority of whom belong to theArmenian Apostolic Church.[1]
According to a survey done by thePew Research Center, 51% of adults in Armenia are "highly religious", and the survey ranked Armenia as the second-most religious out of 34 European countries, after Romania. 79% of Armenians surveyed reported that they believe in God with "absolute certainty", and 53% consider religion very important in their lives.[3]
| Religion | Population (2011)[2] | Population (2022)[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 3,018,854 | 2,932,731 | ||
| Armenian Apostolic Church | 2,797,187 | 92.7% | 2,793,042 | 95.2% |
| Catholicism | 13,996 | 0.5% | 17,884 | 0.6% |
| Evangelicalism | 29,280 | 1% | 15,836 | 0.5% |
| Yezidism | 23,374 | 0.8% | 14,349 | 0.5% |
| Orthodoxy | 7,587 | 0.3% | 6,316 | 0.2% |
| Jehovah's Witnesses | 8,695 | 0.3% | 5,282 | 0.2% |
| Paganism | 5,416 | 0.2% | 2,132 | 0.1% |
| Molokan | 2,874 | 0.1% | 2,000 | 0.1% |
| Nestorian Church | 1,733 | 0.06% | 524 | 0.02% |
| Islam | 812 | 0.03% | 515 | 0.02% |
| Hare Krishna | - | - | 204 | 0.01% |
| Judaism | 528 | 0.02% | 118 | 0.01% |
| Other Protestant | 773 | 0.03% | 280 | 0.01% |
| Mormon | 241 | 0.01% | 85 | 0.01% |
| Transcendental meditation | - | - | 22 | 0.00% |
| Other | 5,299 | 0.2% | 7,288 | 0.3% |
| None | 34,373 | 1.1% | 17,501 | 0.6% |
| Refused to answer | 10,941 | 0.4% | 49,353 | 1.7% |
| Unspecified | 76,273 | 3.5% | - | - |
Yazidis are concentrated primarily in agricultural areas aroundMount Aragats, northwest of Yerevan. They live in 19 villages in theAragatsotn Province, two villages in theArmavir Province, and one village in theArarat Province.
Armenian Catholics live mainly in the northern region, in seven villages in theShirak Province and six villages in theLori Province.
Molokans live in 10 villages in theLori Province, two villages in theShirak Province, and two villages in theGegharkunik Province.
Most Jews,Mormons, followers of theBahá'í Faith, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Latin Catholic Christians reside in the capital Yerevan, which has attracted a greater variety of peoples. Yerevan also has a small community of Muslims, including ethnicKurds,Iranians, and temporary residents from the Middle East. Foreign missionary groups are active in the country.
The Constitution as amended in 2005 provides for freedom of religion and the right to practice, choose, or change religious belief. It recognizes "the exclusive mission of the Armenian Church as a national church in the spiritual life, development of the national culture, and preservation of the national identity of the people of Armenia." The law places some restrictions on the religious freedom of religious groups other than the Armenian Church. The Law on Freedom of Conscience establishes the separation of church and state but it grants the Armenian Church official status as the national church.
According to tradition, Christianity was first introduced to this area by theapostlesBartholomew andThaddeus in the 1st century AD.[4] Armenia became the first country to establish Christianity as its statereligion when, in an event traditionally dated to AD 301,St. Gregory the Illuminator convincedTiridates III, theking of Armenia, toconvert to Christianity. Before this, the dominant religion wasArmenian paganism.
TheArmenian Apostolic Church is thenational church of theArmenian people. Part of anEastern Christian denomination in communion with otherOriental Orthodox churches, it is one of the most ancientChristian institutions.[5] And is "seen by many as the custodian of Armenian national identity".[6] "Beyond its role as a religious institution, the Apostolic Church has traditionally been seen as the foundational core in the development of the Armenian national identity as God's uniquely chosen people."[7]
TheCatholic Church in Armenia is divided between Latin Church parishes (subject to theApostolic Administration of the Caucasus) and the Armenian Catholic Church's parishes. The 2011 census counted 13,996 Catholics in Armenia. In 1911, the Armenian Catholic Church had been split into 19 dioceses.[8] However, many of the dioceses had been dissolved and a number of its followers migrated to different countries during theArmenian genocide in Turkey between the years of 1915 and 1918.[9] The Armenian Catholic Church is led by the 'Patriarch of the Catholic Armenians and Katholikos of Cilicia' and, by convention, the Patriarch has taken up the name of Peter ("Petros").[10]
Abraham Petros I Ardzivian was of great prominence in the formation of a lasting communion with Rome. Having been received into the Catholic faith, he was later made a bishop and was the first patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church to be consecrated on 26 November 1740.[11] The pallium was granted to him byPope Benedict XIV on 8 December 1742 marking the recognition of Armenian church unity. This was the first step in the Union of the Latin and Armenian Catholic Church that persists unbroken until the current day.[12]
Throughout the world, the Armenian Catholic church is divided into four archeparchies and six eparchies, as well as lesser exarchates and ordinariates. Despite the events of the Armenian genocide, the Armenian Catholic Church continued to spread acrossArmenian diaspora communities throughout the world.[13]
According to the Census of 2011, there are 7,587 adherents ofEastern Orthodoxy in Armenia, mainly Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians and Greeks.[2] Russian Orthodox community is centered aroundChurch of the Intercession of the Holy Mother of God in Yerevan, consecrated in 1912.
TheMolokans, a Russian religious group who reject church hierarchy and some Russian Orthodox practices, have a presence in Armenia dating from the early 19th century. Armenian Molokans have low intermarriage rates, and are generally educated in Russian-language schools; most are fluent in both Russian and Armenian.[14] Molokans maintain a communal identity,[15] and rural Molokan villages continue with a traditional lifestyle.[16] The 2011 Armenian census counted 2,874 Molokans[2] and the 2022 census counted 2,000 Molokans.[1]
In 1802,Alexander I ordered that adherents of religious sects should be relocated to southern areas of the Russian Empire; Armenian regions such asLori,Lake Sevan,Dilijan, andZangezur were chosen for new Russian settlements. Mass migration of Molokans (as well asDoukhobors,Khlysts, andSkoptsy) to the Caucasus took place in the 1830s, whenNicholas I focused efforts on resettlement, particularly to Armenia.[17] 19th-century Molokan settlements include the villages ofVorontsovka,Nikitino,Voskresenovka,Privolnoye,Elenovka,Semyonovka,Nadezhdino, andMikhailovka.[18]
The Molokans of Armenia supported the establishment of the Soviet Union, and were active in the Revolutionary movement. Sovietdekulakization policy in the 1920s caused discontentment among the Molokans, and some wanted to emigrate to Russia or Persia; eventually, most chose to stay in Soviet Armenia.[19] Beginning in the 1930s Molokans migrated in large numbers to cities due to collectivization of rural land.[14]
According to the Census of 2011, there are 1,733Assyrians in Armenia.
Since the end of the Soviet Union, American Protestant missionaries have been proselytising in the country. The 2011 census counted 29,280Evangelicals (1% of the population) and 773 otherProtestants.
TheJehovah's Witnesses have estimated their membership at 11,500; the 2011 census found 8,695.[2]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims approximately 3,000 adherents in Armenia at the end of 2011; the 2011 census found 241.[2][20]
Hetanism (Հեթանոսություն,Hetanosutyun) is aneo-pagan movement in Armenia. Adherents call themselves "Hetans" (Hetanosհեթանոս, the Old Armenian biblical term loaned from Greek ἐθνικός "gentile"). The movement traces its origins back to the work of the early-20th-century political philosopher and revolutionaryGaregin Nzhdeh and his doctrine oftseghakron (rejuvenation through national religion). In 1991, it was institutionalized by theArmenologistSlak Kakosyan into the "Order of the Children of Ari" (Arordineri Ukht). The movement is strongly associated toArmenian nationalism. It finds some support from nationalist political parties of Armenia, particularly theRepublican Party of Armenia and theUnion of Armenian Aryans.[21]
About 1% of Armenia's population (23,374 as per the 2011 census), mostly ethnicYazidis, anethno-religious group living in the western part of the country, followYazidism. Many Yazidis came to Armenia andGeorgia during the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape religious persecution. Relations between Yazidis andArmenians are strong. The world's largest Yazidi templeQuba Mêrê Dîwanê is constructed in the small village ofAknalich.[22]
Currently there are an estimated 750 Jews in the country, a remnant of a once larger community. Most left Armenia forIsrael after the collapse of the Soviet Union in pursuit of better living standards. Still, despite the small numbers, high intermarriage rate and relative isolation, a lot of enthusiasm exists to help the community meet its needs.[23]
Azerbaijanis andKurds living in Armenia traditionally practisedIslam, but most Azerbaijanis, who were the largest minority in the country, fled during theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War.[24][25] In 2009, the Pew Research Center estimated that less than 0.1% of the population, or about 1,000 people, were Muslims.[citation needed]
The 18th centuryBlue Mosque is open for Friday prayers.
Throughout history, Armenians did not convert to Islam in large numbers despite long periods of Muslim rule. During the Arabic conquest, Islam came to the Armenians; however, very few Armenians converted to Islam, since Christians were not required to convert by Muslim law.
There is, however, a minority of ethnic Armenian Muslims, known asHamshenis, the vast majority of which live outside of Armenia mostly inTurkey, and to a lesser extent, inRussia.
TheBaháʼí Faith in Armenia begins with some involvements in the banishments and execution of theBáb,[26] the Founder ofBábism, viewed by Baháʼís as a precursor religion. The same year of theexecution of the Báb the religion was introduced into Armenia.[27] During the period ofSoviet policy of religious oppression, the Baháʼís in Armenia lost contact with the Baháʼís elsewhere.[28] However, in 1963 communities were identified[29] inYerevan andArtez.[30] FollowingPerestroika, the first BaháʼíLocal Spiritual Assemblies of Armenia form in 1991[31] and Armenian Baháʼís elected their firstNational Spiritual Assembly in 1995.[30]
With shared interests in many aspects, Indians and Armenians established economic and cultural ties almost 4000 years ago. Per the writings of Zenobius Glak, an early classical Armenian writer, two princes and their families fled to Armenia in 149 BC. They were granted a grand welcome and given land there. They built a temple for Hindu gods and goddesses in Ashtishat, a famous religious center in Armenia. Eventually, their society grew to 20 villages and was called Hindkastan, the Armenian name for India. At one time, there were over 15,000 Hindus living in Armenia.[32]
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