MECHITHARISTS  , a See also:

• CONGREGATION (Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a flock, herd)

congregation of Armenian monks in communion with the See also:

• CHURCH
• CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
• CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
• CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
• CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
• CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)

Church of See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome . The founder, Mechithar, was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born at Sebaste in See also:

• ARMENIA (old Persian Armina, Armenian Hayasdan, or Hayq)

Armenia, 1676 . He entered a monastery, but under the See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence of Western missionaries he became possessed with the See also:

• IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of propagating Western ideas and culture in Armenia, and of converting the Armenian Church from its monophysitism and uniting it to the Latin Church . Mechithar set out for Rome in 1695 to make his ecclesiastical studies there, but he was compelled by illness to abandon the See also:

• JOURNEY (through O. Fr. jornee or journee, mod. Fr. journee, from med. Lat. diurnata, Lat. diurnus, of or belonging to dies, day)

journey and return to Armenia . In' 1696 he was ordained See also:

• PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest and for four years worked among his See also:

• PEOPLE

people . In 1700 he went to See also:

• CONSTANTINOPLE
• CONSTANTINOPLE, COUNCILS OF

Constantinople and began to gather disciples around him . Mechithar formally joined the Latin Church, and in 1701, with sixteen companions, he formed a definitely religious See also:

• INSTITUTE (from Lat. instituere, to establish or set up)

institute of which he became the See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior . Their Uniat propaganda encountered the opposition of the Armenians and they were compelled to move to the Morea, at that See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time Venetian territory, and there built a monastery, 1706 . On the outbreak of hostilities between the See also:

• TURKS

Turks and Venetians they migrated to See also:

• VENICE
• VENICE (continued)
• VENICE (Venezia)

Venice, and the See also:

• ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island of St Lazzaro was bestowed on them, 1717 . This has since been the headquarters of the congregation, and here Mechithar died in 1749, leaving his institute firmly established . The See also:

• RULE

rule followed at first was that attributed to St See also:

• ANTHONY, SAINT
• ANTHONY, SUSAN BROWNELL (1820-1906)

Anthony; but when they settled in the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West modifications from the See also:

• BENEDICTINE

Benedictine rule were introduced, and the Mechitharists are numbered among the lesser orders affiliated to the See also:

• BENEDICTINES, or BLACK MONKS

Benedictines . They have ever been faithful to their founder's See also:

• PROGRAMME, or PROGRAM

programme .

Their See also:

• WORK

work has been fourfold: (1) they have brought out See also:

• EDITIONS

editions of important patristic See also:

• WORKS

works, some Armenian, others translated into Armenian from See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek and See also:

• SYRIAC

Syriac originals no longer extant; (2) they See also:

• PRINT

print and circulate Armenian literature among the Armenians, and thereby exercise a powerful See also:

• MECKLENBURG

MECKLENBURG educational influence; (3) they carry on See also:

• SCHOOLS

schools both in See also:

• EUROPE

Europe and See also:

• ASIA

Asia, in which Uniat Armenian boys receive a See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good secondary See also:

• EDUCATION

education; (4) they work as Uniat missioners in Armenia . The congregation is divided into two branches, the See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head houses being at St Lazzaro and See also:

• VIENNA (Ger. Wien; Lat. Vindobona)
• VIENNA, CONGRESS OF (1814-1815)

Vienna . They have fifteen establishments in various places in Asia See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

Minor and Europe . There are some 150 monks, all Armenians; they use the Armenian See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language and rite in the See also:

• LITURGY (Low Lat. liturgia; Gr. X€Zros, public, and Epyov, work; )Aetrovpy6s, a public servant)

liturgy . See Vita del servo di Dio Mechitar (Venice, 1901); E . See also:

• BORE

Bore, See also:

• SAINT (lat. sanctus, " holy ")

Saint-Lazare (1835) ; Max Heimbucher, Orden u . Kongregationen (1907) I . § 37; and the articles in Wetzer u . Welte, Kirchenlexicon (ed . 2) and See also:

• HERZOG, HANS (1819–1894)
• HERZOG, JOHANN JAKOB (1805-1882)

Herzog, Realencyklopadie (ed . 3), also articles by Sargisean, a Mechitharist, in Rivista stoma benedettina (1906), " La Congregazione Mechitarista." (E . C .