St. Husik I

Who is St. Husik I?

Saint Husik I, often known as Husik was a Catholicos of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church who lived in the fourth century. He was the fourth in line of then of the Parthian Catholicoi immediately after Gregory the Illuminator, St. Aristaces I and St. Vrtanes I.

Husik was the son of Vrtanes I by an unnamed mother and had a brother called Grigoris who was martyred in Caucasian Albania. His paternal uncle was Aristaces I and paternal grandfather was the great Gregory the Illuminator.

Although Husik was born, educated and ordained in Caesarea Cappadocia; he also spent part of his life in the Arsacid Court of King Tigranes VII. Husik married at some point an Arsacid Princess, who was an unnamed daughter of Tiridates III of Armenia and Ashkhen. With his wife, Husik had two sons:

⁕Papas, who renounced his Catholicos position in 348. He married Varazdoukht, an Arsacid Princess who was one of the sisters of Tigranes VII.

⁕At’anaganes, who married Bambish, an Arsacid Princess, a sister of Varazdoukht and Tigranes VII. Through his second son, Husik was the grandfather of the Catholicos, St. Nerses I.

He became the new Catholicos after his father and reigned from 341 until 347. Husik was a true follower of his family's virtues. During his reign, Husik denounced the evils of King Tigranes VII and the King’s courtiers. He went so far at one point, Husik tried to ban Tigranes VII and his associates from the church at the time of a festival. For this act that Husik did to King Tigranes VII and his associates, Husik died as a Christian martyr from being clubbed to death. Husik along with his brother and members of his family are all Saints in the Armenian Apostolic Church.