Khrimian Hayrig: Servant of the People

Mgrdich Khrimian (1820–1907) is one of the most significant and complex figures in modern Armenian history. A prominent Armenian cleric, writer, national leader and reformer, he played a vital role in strengthening Armenian national identity, through educating and enlightening the oppressed Armenian peasants, including women, in the Ottoman provinces. In return, they affectionately dubbed him “Khrimian Hayrig” for the care and attention he paid to their plight. As Catholicos of All Armenians, starting in 1892, he is particularly remembered for his famous “Iron Ladle” sermon, after the 1878 Congress of Berlin—a searing perspective on Armenian nationhood in the geopolitical context. His trials and triumphs in a turbulent era in Armenian and world affairs helped lay the groundwork for subsequent Armenian political and independence movements. Today, his legacy as the servant of the Armenian people elucidates the core attributes of courageous leadership.

Originally published April 2025.

About the speaker

Varak Ketsemanian

Varak Ketsemanian is an Assistant Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History in the Department of History and Archaeology at the American University of Beirut. Before joining AUB, Ketsemanian taught at Princeton University and the American University of Armenia. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Ottoman and Turkish Association, Toplumsal Tarih Dergisi, International Journal of Middle East Studies, and Archival Science among other chapters in edited volumes. His book (co-edited with Emre Can Dağlıoğlu) Memoirs of Boghos Shadigian (1874-1951): A Revolutionary from Baku to Marseille is forthcoming with Michigan State University Press. He is the recipient of several awards and fellowships including Princeton University’s Near Eastern Studies Department Prize for Outstanding Dissertation, Fulbright, the Donald and Mary Hyde Fellowship, and the Gulbenkian Fellowship for Armenian Studies among others. Ketsemanian is currently working on his monograph titled Between the Law and The Gun: Armenian Constitutionalism and Revolutionism in the Late Ottoman Empire.

Varak Ketsemanian