Abraham Petros I Ardzivian

Who was Abraham Petros I Ardzivian?

Abraham Petros I Ardzivian was an Armenian Catholic Patriarchs of Cilicia. In 1738, the Armenian Catholics of Aleppo obtained a church and brought a license to return Ardzivian to Aleppo in 1739. They decided to have an independent patriarchate with their bishop, who arriving to Aleppo, by the help of Greek Catholic bishops, ordained bishop his vicar Hagop and two other clergymen. They, in their turn, consecrated him patriarch on November 26, 1740.

To ratify the patriarchal election, Ardzivian went to Rome, to present himself to Pope Benedict XIV. The meeting of Cardinals on November 26, 1742 ratified Ardzivian's patriarchate and on December 8, the Pope Benedict XIV granted him the Pallium.

The patriarchate founded by Ardzivian, being ratified according to the clerical rule and illegal according to the Ottoman rule, was the object of permanent governmental pursuits. In spite of European embassies' interventions, in the aim of getting a sovereignty, Ardzivian was obliged to resign in order to go to Constantinople, so he returned from Rome to the convent of Kreim. Being expelled somewhere on Lebanon mountains, accompanying him six bishops and 22 St-Antoine's Armenian Monks only.