Georgian Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodox Church Armenian Apostolic Church Eastern Catholic Churches
Feast
October 17 (Eastern Orthodox), September 20–26 (Armenian Apostolic and Eastern Catholic)
Shushanik (Armenian: Շուշանիկ; Georgian: შუშანიკი; c. 440 – 475), also known as Shushanika or Vardandukht, was a Christian Armenian woman who was tortured to death by her husband Varsken in the town of Tsurtavi, Georgia. Since she died defending her right to profess Christianity, she is regarded as a martyr. Her martyrdom is described in her confessor Jacob’s hagiographic work, the oldest extant work of Georgian language literature. The hagiography details Shushanik's extensive resistance to imprisonment, isolation, torture and cruelty.[1]
According to this legend, Shushanik was a daughter of the Armenian military commander Vardan Mamikonian and married the Mihranid ruler (pitiakhsh) Varsken, son of Arshusha II. Varsken was a defiant vassal of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, King of Kartli (Iberia), and took a pro-Persian position, renouncing Christianity and adopting Zoroastrianism. He killed Shushanik after she refused to submit to his order to abandon her Christian faith. Varsken himself was killed by King Vakhtang in 482.
Shushanik has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church and is venerated by the Armenian Apostolic Church. Her feast day is celebrated on October 17 in Georgia and the Tuesday between September 20–26 in Armenia.
^Rayfield, Donald (2013). The Literature of Georgia: A History. London: Routledge. pp. 42–44. ISBN 978-1-13682-529-3.
Shushanik (Armenian: Շուշանիկ; Georgian: შუშანიკი; c. 440 – 475), also known as Shushanika or Vardandukht, was a Christian Armenian woman who was tortured...
The Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik (also translated as The Passion of Saint Shushanik; Georgian: წამებაჲ წმიდისა შუშანიკისი დედოფლისაჲ, romanized:...
Shushanik Kurghinian (Armenian: Շուշանիկ Կուրղինյան; née Popoljian; 18 August 1876 – 24 November 1927) was an Armenian writer who became a catalyst in...
Queen Shushanik" and the "Martyrdom of Saint Abo". Many of the saints from the first centuries of the church were not ethnic Georgians (Shushanik was an...
Mamikonian was the father of Vardeni Mamikonian, known Shushanik, born around 439 AD. Shushanik married Varsken, a prominent Mihranid feudal lord (pitiakhsh)...
In 1865, an amateur theatre group in Gyumri performed H. Karinyan's "Shushanik". In 1912, Gyumri was home to the first opera show ever staged in Armenia...
force his family to convert to Zoroastrianism, including his first wife Shushanik, which eventually resulted in her martyrdom, dying from the violence inflicted...
in 1895 by Turkish troops. The Armenian writers Avetis Nazarbekian and Shushanik Kurghinian both dedicated poems to his memory. Outstanding people of Karabagh...
major town of Gogarene and the Lower Iberia. A personal priest of Saint Shushanik and an eyewitness of her martyrdom at the hand of her spouse, bidaxae...
Shiraz, was a sculptor. Shiraz had seven children with his second wife, Shushanik Shiraz (Aristakesyan), one of whom was Sipan Shiraz, a poet. He was buried...
surviving literary work is the 5th century Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik by Iakob Tsurtaveli. The emergence of Georgian as a written language appears...
of Armenia, replacing Adhur Hormizd. In 475, the Mamikonian princess Shushanik, was murdered by her husband Prince Varsken, a recent convert to Zoroastrianism...
mid-1980s, based on Armenian epic poem David of Sasun) The Martyrdom of Shushanik (Мученичество Шушаник, 1987, based on Georgian chronicle by Iakob Tsurtaveli)...
director: Samvel Arustamyan Chief scout: Robert Arzumanyan Press Secretary: Shushanik Hakobyan Marketing and Public Relations: Vera Martirosyan Officer: Vardan...
Mamikonian, married to Sahakanoysh of Armenia 1. Vardan I (+451) (saint) 1.1. Shushanik (+October 17, 475, Tsurtavi, Georgia) (saint) 2. Hmayeak I (+June 02,...
after Saint Pantaleon, and a daughter named Khanchik. His wife, named Shushanik (Old Armenian: Շուշանիկ) was probably a Mamikonian princess. Vachagan...
emerges in written accounts in the 5th-century Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik, the earliest surviving piece of Georgian literature. According to the...
United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192556462. Ghazaryan, Shushanik (2019). "Armenians in Soviet Baku". In Ziemer, Ulrike (ed.). Women's Everyday...
The earliest known Georgian literary work, The Martyrdom of the Holy Shushanik by Iakob Tsurtaveli, was composed between 476 and 484 CE. It belongs to...
full-length feature, short and animation projects. The Director of the NCCA is Shushanik Mirzakhanyan, and the headquarters are located in Yerevan. The first Armenian...
Severus of Vienne 5th century Shenouda the Archimandrite 5th century Shushanik 5th century Sidonius Apollinaris 5th century Silas 50 Silvanus of the...
the oldest Georgian hagiographial novels, Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik was written here. As of 2021, the village had a population of 399 people...
American Accent". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 22, 2012. Makaryan, Shushanik (December 2010). "Country report: Armenia" (PDF). EUDO Citizenship Observatory...
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