Sebouh Chouldjian

Sebouh Chouldjian was an Armenian Apostolic prelate who served as the Archbishop of the Diocese of Gougark from 1996 until his death in 2020. He was born in Malatya, Turkey, in 1959, and received his primary education at the Nersesian School of Istanbul. His family resettled in Armenia in 1969, where he grew up in Gyumri. He entered the Gevorkian Theological Seminary at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1978 and was ordained as a celibate priest in 1987. He received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet) in 1989 and the rank of Bishop in 1997. He was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 2006 by Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. He was appointed as the Primate of the Diocese of Gougark in 1996, where he oversaw the spiritual and administrative life of the Armenian Church in the northern regions of Armenia. He also served as the Director of the Reserve Stewardship Inventory Committee of the Armenian Church and the Director of the committee responsible for tracking the return and receipt of all previously confiscated church buildings, land and construction projects. He was involved in various ecumenical and interfaith activities and was a member of the World Council of Churches Central Committee. He was known for his pastoral care, his charitable initiatives, his educational and cultural projects, and his support for the Artsakh Republic. He died of COVID-19 on November 19, 2020, in Yerevan, Armenia, at the age of 61. He was buried at the Prelacy of the Diocese of Gougark in Vanadzor, Armenia. He was mourned by the Armenian Church and the Armenian people as a devoted servant of God and a beloved spiritual leader.