Archbishop Arakel Karamian
Primate of the Diocese of Kotayk
Archbishop Arakel Karamian was born on July 20, 1963, in the village of Yeranos in the Martouni district of Armenia. He received his primary education in the secondary school of the village.
From 1979 to 1985, he studied courses at the Khachatour Abovyan Linguistics Department of the Yerevan Institute of Teacher Education.
In 1980, he entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
From 1982 to 1984, he deferred the continuation of his education to serve in the Soviet Army. Then, he continued his studies at the Seminary.
On May 12, 1988, he was ordained to the diaconate by Archbishop Housik Santourian and was appointed to serve as the Director of the “Alex and Marie Manoogian” Treasury House.
On March 15, 1989, he successfully defended his final thesis entitled: “Interpretation of John the Prophet” by studying the works of Catholicos Yeprem Ajapahian, the 119th Catholicos of All Armenians, who reigned from 1809 until 1831.
On June 11, 1989, he was ordained as a celibate priest.
On August 25, 1989, he was appointed to serve as the parish priest of the St. John Church in the village of Sisian in Armenia.
On May 10, 1990, Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Vasken I, of Blessed Memory, appointed him to serve as a Vicar General in the Diocese of Syunik, in Goris.
On April 03, 1993, Father Arakel was appointed to serve as the Assistant Vicar of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese of the Armenian Church and the Dean of the Vaskenian Theological Academy at Lake Sevan.
In June 1994, he departed for Regensburg, Germany, to study at the Theological University.
On June 03, 1994, he successfully defended his Doctoral Thesis entitled: “All the Evil is Torturous” based on a study of the works of Arakel of Siunik.
In December 1996, he was appointed to serve as the Dean of Vaskenian Theological Academy.
On May 30, 1996, he was appointed to serve as the Primate of the Diocese of Kotayk by the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin I, of Blessed Memory, where he serves up to the present day.
On June 15, 1997, he was consecrated as Bishop by His Holiness Karekin I, in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.
On July 18, 2001, His Grace was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen.
On February 18, 2009, Bishop Arakel was granted the Medal of the Governor of Kotayk by the decision № 32 of the RA Kotayk Region.
On March 26, 2010, he was awarded the title of the Honorary Citizen of Tsaghkadzor by the decision № 11-A of Tsaghkadzor City of the RA Kotayk Region.
On December 24, 2011, he was awarded the Medal "20 Years of the RA Armed Forces" by the order № 1537 of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
On January 23, 2013, His Grace was awarded the Medal “Marshal Baghramyan” by the order № 58 of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
On February 01, 2013, by the order of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; he was appointed to serve as a Chaplain of the RA Police.
On June 06, 2013, His Grace was granted the Medal the “50th Anniversary of the Investigative Department” by the order № 1807 of the Head of Police of the Republic of Armenia.
On April 14, 2014, he was awarded the Medal "Bulwark of Law" by the order № 1001-A.
On May 14, 2014, Bishop Arakel was elevated to the rank of Archbishop by the Pontifical Encyclical of the Catholicos of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II.
On January 23, 2015, His Eminence was awarded the Medal "Andranik Ozanyan" by the decision № 45.
On August 21, 2015, he was awarded the title of the Honorary Citizen of Abovyan City of the RA Kotayk Region.
On July 15, 2017, Archbishop Arakel was awarded the “Medal for Cooperation” by the order № 1632 of the RA Police.
On September 20, 2017, he was granted the Medal "Mother's Gratitude" for the special services in the struggle for the freedom of Artsakh.
From 1991 to 1994, during the years of the War of Artsakh, in particular, during the occupation of the Lachin corridor, His Eminence Archbishop Arakel Karamian supported the soldiers serving in Artsakh.
On April 05, 2018, His Eminence was awarded the Medal the “100th Anniversary of the Police” by the order № 1044.
