Gegard

Geghard, the Holy Spear, is a sacred relic associated with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Geghard is a flat or triangular iron spear approximately 15 cm long, which, when attached to the end of a wooden shaft, served as a piercing weapon. The Geghard is a sacred relic. After Jesus was crucified, one of the Roman soldiers pierced the side of Jesus, who was dead on the cross, with the spear (Geghard), from which "immediately blood and water came out" (John 19:33-34). From that day on, the weapon of death, the Geghard, became a sacred relic for Christians. According to the tradition of the Armenian Church, the Geghard was brought to Armenia by the Apostle Thaddeus in 33 AD, and it was kept in Christian communities for a long time. In 301 AD, when Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in Armenia, the Geghard became the property of the Armenian Apostolic Church. There are mentions that the Holy Geghard was used in Armenia or neighboring countries to bless the land and the people, and to free them from wars and disasters. The Holy Geghard was kept in Ayrivank for 500 years, which later, in honor of the Geghard, was named Geghardavank. The Armenian Catholicoses bless the holy myrrh with the Holy Geghard along with the Right Hand of the Illuminator during the myrrh blessing ceremony. Currently, the Geghard is kept in the museum of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. The silver reliquary of the Geghard was made in 1687 by Bishop David, a descendant of the Proshyan