Armenian church marks Nativity of Virgin Mary

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8.

The event, which is part of the Church's calendar of fixed-date feasts, is not detailed in the Gospels but is known through Holy Tradition. According to tradition, the Virgin Mary was born to Joachim and Anna, who were elderly and childless before God blessed them with a daughter.

The couple's prayers for a child were answered when an angel appeared to Anna, foretelling that she would bear a daughter who would be "blessed by all nations". Joachim received a similar vision. 

In gratitude, Anna promised to dedicate her child to God, and when the girl was born, she was named Mary, which means "Illuminated".