Get to know Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Primate of the Diocese of Tavush.
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia, on May 20, 1971, and was ordained as a deacon in 1994.
From 1996, he served as a secretary to Karekin I, the Catholicos, accompanying him on pontifical visits to South America, Moscow, the U.K., and Austria. He also represented the Armenian Church as a delegate at the second Council of European Churches.
In 1998, Archbishop Galstanyan pursued higher education at the University of Leeds in England, where he introduced the concept of “Green Theology” upon his return to Armenia.
In 2002, he was appointed as the head of the newly founded Department of Media, Relations, and Communications at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. He initiated debates and discussions on various religious topics during his tenure.
In May 2003, he was elected Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. During his tenure, he established the organization “Hay Tun” to aid the elderly, the sick, and Iraqi Armenians who had fled to Canada due to the war. He also founded youth groups, a children’s choir, and initiated the construction of the “Ararat” old age home.
In November 2012, Archbishop Galstanyan completed his postgraduate studies in Theology and Bioethics at Concordia University in Montreal. His thesis focused on “The Health Care System in Armenia: Historical, Social, and Theological Perspectives.” In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal of Queen Elizabeth II on January 6, 2013.
In 2015, he was appointed Primate of the Tavush Diocese by His Holiness Karekin II and has been a member of the Supreme Spiritual Council since 2017. He serves as a trustee for the “City of Smile” charitable foundation and is an Ambassador of Goodwill for the “Aurora” Forum and the “Pahapan” foundation.
Archbishop Galstanyan has established the children’s choir of the Diocese of Tavush and social-educational centers such as “Arevik” in Ijevan and “Paponts Tun” in Noyemberyan. In 2016, he founded the “Telik” social entrepreneurship program to revive handcraft traditions among women.
In 2022, he initiated the “TaUzh” schools in four cities of Tavush, a leadership training program aimed at developing the physical and intellectual abilities of the younger generation.
On February 17, 2023, he was honored with the title of archbishop by the Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II. Additionally, for the last several weeks, he has been leading the Tavush protests and most recently the march to Yerevan.
