Armenian

The Kingdom of Armenia was the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion. The earliest accounts of the introduction of Christianity into Armenia date from the 1st century. Christianity was officially adopted when St. Gregory the Illuminator converted Tiridates III, King of Armenia, in 301 AD.

Under the special measures authorized by the Ottoman Empire’s Tehcir Law during World War I, a large proportion of Armenians living in Anatolia perished. Most estimates for the number of Armenians killed range from 650,000 to 1.5 million. Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have been campaigning for official recognition of the events as genocide for over 30 years. These events are traditionally commemorated yearly on April 24, the Armenian Martyr Day, or the Day of the Armenian Genocide.