The Armenian Prayerbook of St. Gregory of Narek

The Prayerbook of St. Gregory of Narek is one of the most sublime works of Christian spirituality. Written around 1000 AD, it is a compendium of 95 prayers of striking depth and beautiful images. This e-book edition presents complete work in Thomas Samuelian’s reliable and readable translation.

Born in 951 to a family of scholarly churchmen, St. Gregory entered Narek Monastery on the south-east shore of Lake Van at a young age. Narek Monastery was a thriving center of learning. These were the relatively quiet, creative times before the Turkic and Mongol invasions that changed Armenian life forever. Armenia was experiencing a renaissance in literature, painting, architecture and theology, of which St. Gregory was a leading figure. The Book of Prayer was the work of his mature years. He called it his last testament: “its letters like my body, its message like my soul.” St. Gregory left this world in 1003, but his voice continues to speak us.