Rhipsime
Sign in to saveAlso known as Hripsime, Ripsime, Ripsima, Arbsima, Arsema
Hripsime (; died ) was a martyr of Roman origin. The story of her martyrdom is connected with the traditional account of the Christianization of Armenia. She and her companions in martyrdom are venerated as some of the first Christian martyrs of Armenia. Saint Hripsime Church in Vagharshapat, where she is buried, is one of Armenia's most visited shrines.
Key facts
- Saint.honorific_prefix
- Saint
- Saint.name
- Hripsime
- Saint.birth_date
- 3rd century
- Saint.death_date
- 9 October 290
- Saint.image
- St. Hripseme.jpg
- Saint.caption
- Icon at Saint Hripsime Church in Vagharshapat
- Saint.birth_place
- Rome, Italy
- Saint.death_place
- Vagharshapat, Kingdom of Armenia
- Saint.titles
- Martyr
- Saint.canonized_date
- Pre-Congregation
- Saint.major_shrine
- St. Hripsime Church, Echmiadzin
via Wikipedia infobox
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Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Biography
- Veneration
- In art
- Notes and references
- External links
Hripsime (; died ) was a martyr of Roman origin. The story of her martyrdom is connected with the traditional account of the Christianization of Armenia. She and her companions in martyrdom are venerated as some of the first Christian martyrs of Armenia. Saint Hripsime Church in Vagharshapat, where she is buried, is one of Armenia's most visited shrines.
==Biography== According to the traditional account recorded in the Armenian history attributed to Agathangelos, Hripsime was a woman of noble origin who was one of a group of Christian virgins who led a monastic life in Rome, led by their mother superior Gayane. Fleeing the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian (), they come to Armenia and settle near the capital of Vagharshapat. The story says that Hripsime was selected to be Diocletian's bride in a beauty contest but refused to marry the emperor. Diocletian sends a letter to the king of Armenia, Tiridates, informing him about the nuns' escape and saying that if Tiridates so wishes, he can keep Hripsime for himself. Tiridates has Hripsime brought to the palace, but despite his physical strength he is unable to overpower her and she escapes. Finally, Hripsime and the other nuns (a total of 37 out of more than 70 who came to Armenia) are put to death:
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Rhipsime” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.