St Gregory of Narek: History of the Holy Cross of Aparank

This is a short panegyric about the relationship of the High Byzantine Empire, under Basil II, and its relationship to its Armenian ally to the east. The text tells of the endowment of a piece of the True Cross to the Armenian monastery at Aparank, sometime during the early 11th century. St. Gregory makes references to several other powers within the Armenian church at the time, including the bishop of Mokk, Stephanos. It is stylistically broken down into 144 sections, which are translated here into English for the first time.