Based on letters exchanged between the very early 7th-century prelates of one’s Armenian and you may Georgian places of worship Copenhagen women brides, this new martyred Little princess Shushanik are the thing of veneration when you look at the Tsurtaw, the capital town of Gugark, alone the fresh new marchland anywhere between Armenia and you will Georgia. Though Gugark was appended to Georgia due to the fact 4th century, services regarding the chapel in which the little princess try buried was in fact held inside the Armenian. The population of this part are predominantly off Armenian and you may Georgian supply, and you can Armenian are a commonly verbal code near to Georgian. New grave of your own princess lured of numerous pilgrims from differing from Armenia (predicated on this type of exact same data), which annually found its way to Tsurtaw so you can venerate this new princess’ grave.

[x] These emails leave surely the tale of Shushanik predates the newest 7th millennium, hence the woman Passion-which can be obtained in lot of models and you will variations, in both Armenian and you may Georgian-comes from an early fresh. Shushanik was the newest dikonean. The second are the popular leader-in-head of Armenian pushes, whom led his members of an excellent rebellion up against the Iranian King of Kings into the coverage of the Christian faith, and you may dropped into battleground of Awarayr may twenty-six, Advertisement 451. On her behalf dad’s front side, Shushanik is descended regarding St.

Gregory the fresh Illuminator, whom translated the fresh new Armenian judge and other people so you can Christianity on start of the last century

Shushanik are hitched so you can Vazgen (“Varzken” inside the Georgian), the fresh margrave (otherwise february-lord) out of Gugark and you can boy of your ikonean’s intimate member. In the 450 Ashusha got followed Vardan together with other nobles regarding Armenia, Georgia and you will Albania who were summoned to your Iranian [xi] court in the Ctesiphon so you’re able to confront the fresh King away from Leaders. He had been that have Vardan in addition to Armenian nobles when they refuted the latest king’s promote to convert to help you Zoroastrianism. Their refusal naughty the new king’s wrath, and he endangered punishment towards the princes in the around three places throughout the Caucasus. The new nobles consequently, significantly worried about the effects they may endure, agreed one of on their own to help you pretend enjoy of the king’s offer, in order to mine their going transformation while the a tactic to store its lifestyle. Vardan at first refused to participate in the deceit, and you can shown a willingness is martyred. Thereupon the fresh nobles commissioned an excellent prince named Artak and margrave Ashusha (described as a smart child from the late 5th-century historian Ghazar Parpetsi) in order to convince Vardan to acquiesce on pretended apostasy. Ashusha’s girlfriend is a keen [xii] Armenian little princess of one’s Artsruni members of the family therefore the brother out-of Dzuik, the fresh girlfriend from Vardan’s sis Hmayeak. Ashusha’s keyword obviously carried pounds that have Vardan, exactly who complied along with his pointers.

When the Iranian judge effectively contains brand new Armenian rebellion in 452 and you can exiled its frontrunners, the newest wives and kids of one’s latter discovered safe retreat within the the brand new judge of your own ong they certainly were members of the newest Mamikonean friends in addition to their household members. Little princess Dzuik particularly sought haven in the home off Ashusha, this lady sister’s husband. During Gugark, Dzuik had pulled abreast of by herself the training of the youngsters out of brand new Mamikonean clan, among exactly who was her very own child Vahan, the near future frontrunner-in-chief and governor away from Persian Armenia, including a young attendant, Ghazar Parpetsi, tomorrow historian of occurrences of 5th 100 years.

Ashusha was presumably chosen because of their special reference to Vardan: they certainly were from inside the-statutes through the marriage out of Vardan’s dily matchmaking between the two princes went back further

Little princess Shushanik’s earlier several years of wedding was in fact presumably invested into the Gugark. We have to think that she was given in marriage to Vazgen, boy of your own margrave Ashusha, certain [xiii] go out prior to 451-that is, before the lady dad’s dying. ikonean princess adopting the rebellion away from 451 would have aroused the suspicion and fury of the Persian overlords. I study from the fresh new Passions one to at the time whenever Vazgen went to Ctesiphon (the capital of one’s Iranian empire) and you will forsook their Religious believe, the happy couple got around three sons and a girl. The kids was indeed however of age and you may baptized since Christians, because father promised brand new Queen regarding Kings to alter him or her to help you Zoroastrianism. Additionally, new daughter should have come out of marriageable ages, just like the Vazgen themselves got aim regarding marrying their, in accordance with the dynastic practice regarding Persian legal.