Saint Gregory of Narek

Gregory was born around 950 in Armenia, the son of a bishop and theologian named Khosrov. After his mother's death he was raised and educated at the monastery of Narek, near Lake Van in present-day Turkey, where he spent nearly his whole life as a monk, priest and teacher.

He wrote commentaries on Scripture, hymns and a commentary on the Song of Songs, but his masterpiece is the Book of Lamentations, often called simply the Narek: ninety-five prayers, written near the end of his life, in which he speaks to God from the depths of the heart, confessing sin and pouring out trust in divine mercy. It is one of the treasures of Armenian literature, and Armenian families have long kept it at home, sometimes placing it near the sick. He died around 1003. Pope Francis declared him a Doctor of the Church in 2015, and in 2021 his memorial was added to the General Roman Calendar.

Armenian Christians, both Catholic and Apostolic, revere him as one of their greatest saints, and the Narek is read in homes and at bedsides as a book of prayer and healing.

In 2018 a statue of him was placed in the Vatican Gardens, and Armenian communities in the United States, France and Lebanon keep his feast with liturgy and readings from his prayers.