Saint Ignatius Maloyan
Armenian Catholic archbishop of Mardin, martyred in 1915
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Bishop, Martyr
- Life
- 1869 – 1915
- Era
- 20th century
- Feast
- 11 June
- Countries
- Türkiye
Life story
He was born in April 1869 in Mardin, then in the Ottoman Empire and now in south-eastern Turkey, into an Armenian Catholic family. Church biographies say he joined the Bzommar monastic congregation in Lebanon, was ordained a priest in 1896 and took the name Ignatius. He then served in pastoral work in Egypt and Turkey.
In 1911 he was appointed archbishop of Mardin for the Armenian Catholic Church. Four years later, in spring 1915, the Ottoman authorities began a campaign of deportation and killing of Armenians across the empire. In early June he was arrested together with many priests and lay people. Church accounts say he was pressed to renounce his faith in exchange for release and refused.
On 11 June 1915 he was taken out of Mardin with a large group of Christian men, reportedly about four hundred, and killed. Details of his death rest largely on survivors' testimony and cannot be fully verified. Pope John Paul II beatified him on 7 October 2001, and Pope Leo XIV canonised him on 19 October 2025. His memorial is 11 June.
Works and witness
- Archbishop of Mardin for the Armenian Catholic Church from 1911
- Arrested during the 1915 Armenian genocide
- Refused to renounce his faith according to Church accounts
- Killed on 11 June 1915
- Beatified in 2001 and canonised in 2025
Saints from the same country
References
- Pope John Paul II, beatification of Ignatius Maloyan, 7 October 2001 (Vatican)
- Pope Leo XIV, canonisation of 19 October 2025 (Vatican News)
- Martyrologium Romanum
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.