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The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates on Thursday, October 3, Princes Sts. Sahak and Hamazasp Artsruni, Qahana.am reports.

St. Sahak and St. Hamazasp were from the Artsruni noble dynasty and ruled in Vaspurakan region of Armenia in the period when the Arabic authorities had escalated persecutions against Christians. In 785 A. D. a new governor is appointed in Armenia. The princes and their youngest brother, Meruzhan, pay a due visit to the newly appointed governor. Blaming them in rebellion, the governor imprisons the princes and threatening them with tortures, demands to give up any relations with the Greeks and the Christian faith.

Being afraid of tortures, Meruzhan adopts the Muslim faith. However, on his way back to homeland he is beheaded by Davit Mamikonyan, the locum tenens of Hamazasp, as a betrayer. Meanwhile, Sahak and Hamazasp endure the tortures for the sake of Christ’s faith with prayers and silently. Executioners behead first the younger brother Sahak and then – Hamazasp, and burn their remains.