His Holiness Karekin I (17 December 1867, Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...

 - 21 June 1952, Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

) was Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...

 from 1943-1952.

Born Garegin Hovsepian and originally from Artsakh

Artsakh

Artsakh was the tenth province of the Kingdom of Armenia from 189 BC until 387 AD and afterwards a region of Caucasian Albania from 387 to the 7th century. From the 7th to 9th centuries, it fell under Arab control...

, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1909. In 1917 he was ordained bishop, though this did not keep him from participating in the Battle of Sardarapat

Battle of Sardarapat

The Battle of Sardarabad or Battle of Sardarapat was a battle of the Caucasus Campaign of World War I that took place near Sardarabad , Armenia from May 21-29, 1918...

 (1918) and Battle of Kars (1921).

He served as Primate of the Diocese of Crimea

Crimea

Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...

 and Nor Nakhichevan (in Russia), and in 1933 when dissension arose causing a split in the Armenian Church in America, Bishop Garegin was sent by Catholicos Khoren I as special nuncio

Nuncio

Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...

 to mediate this problem. He arrived in 1936, and though unsuccessful won admiration for his leadership from all sides. He was later elected Primate of the Armenian Diocese of America.

When the See of Great House of Cilicia became vacant he was elected to it in 1943, though due to difficulties in traveling from America to Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 brought on by World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he was unable to physically take up the position until 1945.

He made the Cilician See a center for religious and cultural activities and made it a center for diasporan Armenians. Shortly after his death in 1952, Neshan Sarkissian was ordained a priest and took the name of Karekin in the late Catholicos's honor. He later became Catholicos Karekin II of Cilicia and then Catholicos Karekin I

Karekin I

Karekin I , served as the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1995 and 1999...

 of All Armenians.

Source: Avakian, Arra S. (1998). Armenia: A Journey Through History. The Electric Press, Fresno.