The Funeral Rite for the Laymen in the Armenian Church

The subject of this article is related to the funeral rite for the laymen in the Armenian Church.The subject is discussed with practic examples in İstanbul Armenian Patriarchate. The rich folk practices formed around the funeral rite are not included. And, other ritual practices relating to after death in the Church such as requiem service at the gravesite is too large to be discussed in such an article. However, there is enough knowledge about the funeral rite to understand the approach of the Armenian Church about death and after death. There is almost no research on the funeral rite of the Armenian Church. Actually, the shortage of resources is a serious problem for the field. So that I realised many observations and interviews in İstanbul. The basic beliefs shaping the funeral rite of the Armenian Church are the doctrines of the resurrection and the salvation in Christian theology. The resurrection is for everyone, but the salvation is for those who died faithly. The sleepers in the church of Jesus Christ on the earth are farewelled to the Heavenly Church happily. Therefore, in the Armenian Church, the funeral rite is called the farewell (Hughargavorutyun). The funeral rite in the Armenian Church ritual books (Mashtots) is carried in three stages, called the home order (tan kargn), the churchorder (karg yegeghetsioy) and the cemetery order (gerezmani kargn) in order. There is a consoling ritual after returning from the cemetery. Today in İstanbul, the home ceremony transformed into a short prayer. And the home order is performed as the consoling ritual. The subject is discussed with emphasis on the death perception of Armenians, the terms related to the funeral rite, the short history of funeral ceremony, civil funeral ceremony and the meaning of funeral ceremony, respectively.