The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Zaven I
catholicos AD 377–381 (death unrecorded) · Catholicos of Armenia · Ashtishat → Vagharshapat, Armenia
The Nicene Age
Who Zaven I was
One of the catholicoi of Armenia in the century between Gregory the Illuminator and Sahak the Great. Second of the Albianosid catholicoi, between Shahak of Manazkert and Aspurakes. Movses Khorenatsi is the source for his succession. 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 Zaven I live?
Zaven I is dated catholicos AD 377–381 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places Zaven I in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).
Which early sources mention Zaven I?
Zaven I 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 Zaven I from?
The archive associates Zaven I 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 Zaven I’s contemporaries?
The archive links Zaven I 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 Zaven I in the sources
This figure is placed with Zaven I by the record — in a council roll, a martyr-act, a letter or a history — without Zaven 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
- AD 378 · Queen Mavia’s revolt, AD 378
- AD 380 · The Edict of Thessalonica, AD 380
- AD 381 · The Council of Constantinople, AD 381
Place
Places served
The 3 places the sources put Zaven I, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Ashtishat
- 2Vagharshapat
- 3Armeniaprovince only