Abraham Artzivian

Abraham Artzivian was an Armenian bishop who became the patriarch of Sis (now Kozan, Turkey) in 1740. He was a Catholic and is recognized as the founder of the Armenian Catholic Church. This church is an Eastern-rite member of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Armenian Apostolic Church, which is the national church of Armenia, adopted Christianity around 300 CE. It later rejected the Christological decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (451 CE), leading to its separation from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church has several administrative sees, including patriarchates in Constantinople (Istanbul) and Jerusalem, and catholicosates at Ejmiadzin and Cilicia. The patriarch of Jerusalem is a custodian of Christian holy places, and the patriarch of Constantinople historically served as the religious leader for Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.1234