The Life of Nérséss Lambronatzi [Nérséss of Lambron]
Edited and Translated by Dér Stépanos Dingilian, Ph.D.
Nérséss Lambronatzi’s surname is taken from his hometown of Lambron. In its days, the castle of Lambron was one of Cilicia’s best known and unreachable castles. It was the home of the Hetoumian dynasty, which was begun by Oshin I, and strengthened by his son Hétoum I. This famous king Hetoum I’s son was Oshin II, the father of Nérséss Lambronatzi.
When Oshin II had become of age he married with Shahantoukhd. Shahantoukhd was the daughter of Shahan who was the brother of St. Nersess Shnorhali [the Graceful]. They married in secret because Oshin’s mother was the sister of St. Nérséss Shnorhali as well as the sister of his father-in-law. Thus, he and his wife were first cousins. Oshin and Shahantoukhd had a total of eight children, five boys and three daughters. They had vowed that if they had another male child after Hétoum (their first born), they will dedicate him to the Monastery of Skévra. However when Súmpad was born in 1153, the parents rescinded from their vow and did not want to deprive themselves of the blessing of a second child. The historian Krikor Skévratzi [of Skévra] writes that, soon the newborn Súmpad became gravely ill and was close to death. The parents believed that the illness was their punishment for breaking their vow to God. So they took the ill child to the Skévra monastery and dedicated him to God. Soon the child regained his health and began his studies there.
He learned reading, writing and singing of Church hymns. The young Súmpad set aside the joys and plays of childhood and delved into his studies. The Skévra monastery was rich with manuscripts and educated clergy. His most influential teacher was a famous clergy of the time, Hovhannéss Vartabéd. Súmpad was fluent in many languages: Armenian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Syriac, and the language of the Copts [the Christian Egyptians.] When Súmpad turned 16 in the summer of 1169, St. Nérséss Shnorhali fulfilled his niece’s, that is Nérséss Lambronatzi’s mother’s request, by ordaining Súmpad as a priest, and gave him his own ordination name of ‘Nérséss.’
Nérséss Lambronatzi left the Skévra monastery and his hometown of Lambron, and went to Hromkla, the Holy See of the Catholicos to study at the Seminary of the Catholicosate. After two or three years he returned to Lambron in 1172. The clergy wanted him to become the Abbott of the Skévra monastery. However, his mind was set on furthering his education rather than taking administrative positions. So Nérséss traveled with his teacher Hovhannés to the Monastery of Soorp Asdvadsadsin [Holy Mother of God], and began writing books to educate the other clergy there.
In August of 1173, St. Nérséss Shnorhali passed away, and Krikor Dúgha was immediately elected Catholicos. The new Catholicos wrote to Lambronatzi asking him to come to Hromkla in order to ordain him as a bishop. However, two obstacles stood in the way of Lambronatzi receiving the rank of a bishop. First, he was too young, barely twenty years old. Second, he appeared to have not received the proper education for a bishop, which was absolutely necessary to attain that rank. However, after Lambronatzi presented himself to the Catholicos, it became clear that he was more educated than many bishops. Still, Lambronatzi studied for two more years at the Seminary of the Catholicosate, and graduated in 1175. He was ordained a bishop at the age of 23 even though according to the Church canons he needed to be at least thirty years of age.
A year after his ordination he began his monumental work Badaraki Mégnoutyoon [Commentary on the Armenian Liturgy, which to date, remains one of the most influential works on the subject.] In 1177 he wrote the Commentary on the Book of the Proverbs. Also he translated the Bible’s Book of Revelation into Armenian. Afterwards, he wrote the Commentary on the Book of Psalms. At the same time, he wrote praises, sharagans [hymns], biographical poems, etc. His Commentary on The Book of Acts remains another foundational work in the Armenian Church. Lambronatzi also organized a regular school for methodically teaching theology and other subjects, such as the arts.
Towards the end of his life, he was working within the Lévon Roupinian king’s court. Because of his great talent and accomplishments, other clergy were jealous of him and went to all ends to persecute him. This stressed him greatly. Likely this was the cause of his untimely death in 1198 in the Skévra monastery at the age of 45. During a Badarak he was celebrating, while fully vested and delivering his sermon, he suffered a stroke and died immediately. He was buried next to the Soorp Asdvadsadsin Church of the Skévra monastery.
[From Hagopian, Krikor. Nérséss Lambronatzi.
Yérévan:
Armenian Academy Press, 1971.]
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