The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Shahak I of Manazkert
catholicos AD 373–377 (death unrecorded) · Catholicos of Armenia · Ashtishat → Vagharshapat, Armenia
The Nicene Age
Who Shahak I of Manazkert was
One of the catholicoi of Armenia in the century between Gregory the Illuminator and Sahak the Great. First of the three catholicoi from the Albianosid house, chosen by popular assembly after Nerses’ death and ordained at Caesarea in Cappadocia. Not to be confused with Sahak I the Great, catholicos 387–428, who was a Gregorid — the two are separate men and the succession lists themselves often conflate them. Everything known about him comes from fifth-century Armenian sources describing fourth-century events — late attestation, and the same footing on which the archive already holds Gregory, Trdat, Aristakes, Vrtanes, Husik and Nerses.
Named in the fifth-century Armenian sources only — late attestation for a fourth-century figure, on the same footing as Gregory, Trdat and Nerses in this archive.
Common questions
When did Shahak I live?
Shahak I of Manazkert is dated catholicos AD 373–377 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Shahak I in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Shahak I?
Shahak I of Manazkert is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Pʼawstos Buzand. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Shahak I from?
The archive associates Shahak I of Manazkert with Ashtishat, Vagharshapat, Armenia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Shahak I’s contemporaries?
The archive links Shahak I of Manazkert to 3 other figures, including Nerses I the Great, Husik I of Armenia and Sahak I the Great. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Buzandaran Patmutʼiwnkʼ (The Epic Histories) passim — anonymous Armenian composition of the 470s
c. AD 475[Named in the Gregorid and Albianosid catholicoi succession preserved in the Epic Histories.]Pʼawstos Buzand · Epic Histories passim · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Named alongside Shahak I in the sources
This figure is placed with Shahak I by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Shahak I naming them in return.
Events in this lifetime
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
- AD 372 · The martyrdom of Sabbas the Goth, AD 372
Place
Places served
The 3 places the sources put Shahak I, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Ashtishat
- 2Vagharshapat
- 3Armeniaprovince only