SS. Bartholomew and Thaddaeus were the first apostles of Armenia: but it was not till the beginning of the 4th century, that the whole country became Christian in consequence of the divine blessing, which attended the zealous exertions of S. Gregory surnamed the Illuminator. In the 6th century great numbers of the Armenians were infected with the heresy of Eutyches, who denied that there were two natures in Christ: and to this error they afterwards added some others. In the pontificate of John XXII, about the year 328, a zealous Dominican bishop, called Bartholomew of Bologna, went as a missionary among them; and many of the Eutychians or Monophysites returned to the bosom of the Catholic church. In the 16th century the Catholics were so furiously persecuted by Zachary, a schismatical patriarch, that they fled and took refuge in other countries. They have at present two establishments at Rome, one of the Antonian monks at the church of S. Gregory Illuminator, behind the colonnade of S. Peter's; and a national _ospizio_ at S. Biagio in strada Giulia. [Sidenote: their liturgy.] "The Armenians," says Palmer "have only one liturgy, which is written in the ancient Armenian language, and has been used by them from time immemorial. The whole groundwork and order of the Armenian liturgy coincides with the Caesarean, as used in the time of Basil. This liturgy has, like most others, received many additions in the course of ages. There are several prayers extracted from the liturgy of Chrysostom, and actually ascribed to him" Vol. 1, Liturgy of Armenia. "The liturgy of Basil can be traced with tolerable certainty to the 4th century. Striking as are some of the features, in which it differs from that of Antioch, it is nevertheless evidently a superstructure raised on that basis: the composition of both is the same, i.e. the parts, which they have in common, follow in the same order. The same may be said of the Constantinopolitan liturgy, commonly attributed to S. Chrysostom, of that of the Armenian church, and of the florid and verbose composition in use among the Nestorians of Mesopotamia. So that the liturgy of Antioch, commonly attributed to S. James, appears to be the basis of all the oriental liturgies". Tracts for the Times, N. 63. The author then proceeds to state the grounds of the belief that the liturgies of Antioch, Alexandria, Rome and Gaul were of Apostolic origin; concluding thus "It may perhaps be said without exaggeration, that next to the holy scriptures they possess the greatest claims on our veneration and study". Padre Avedichian observes in his preface to the Armenian liturgy, that it was probably compiled by John _Mandagunense_, an Armenian patriarch of the fifth century. [Sidenote: Armenian high-mass.]