St. Gregory of Narek

St. Gregory of Narek was an Armenian monk, priest, poet, and mystic who lived from about 950 to 1005 at the monastery of Narek near Lake Van, in what is now eastern Turkey. Formed from childhood in that celebrated house of learning, he became its most illustrious teacher and a master of Scripture and theology, revered throughout the Armenian world for the holiness and depth of his spiritual doctrine.

He is best known for his Book of Lamentations, sometimes called the Book of Prayers, a sublime series of mystical meditations addressed to God from the depths of the human heart, which has been treasured for a thousand years as a masterpiece of Christian prayer and of Armenian literature. Though he belonged to the Armenian Church, his sanctity and wisdom are honored throughout Christendom, and in 2015 Pope Francis declared him a Doctor of the Universal Church. His memory is kept on 27 February.