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Abraham Petros I Ardzivian

In 1738, the Armenian Catholics of Aleppo got a church and brought a license to return Ardzivian to Aleppo 1739. They decided to have an independent patriarchate with their bishop, who arriving to Aleppo, by the help of Greek Catholic bishops, ordained bishop his vicar Hagop and two other clergymen. They, in their turn, consecrated him patriarch on November 26, 1740.

To ratify the patriarchal election, Ardzivian went to Rome, to present himself to Pope Benedict XIV. The meeting of Cardinals in November 26, 1742 ratified Ardzivian's patriarchate and on December 8, the Pope Benedict XIV granted him the Pallium.

The patriarchate founded by Ardzivian, being ratified according to the clerical rule and illegal according to the Ottoman rule, was the object of permanent governmental pursuits. In spite of European embassies interventions, in the aim of getting a sovereignty, Ardzivian was obliged to resign in order to go to Constantinople, so he returned from Rome to the convent of Kreim.

It was the beginning of an epic of 250 years.

Being expelled somewhere on Lebanon mountains, accompanying him 6 bishops and 22 St-Antoine's Armenian Monks only, he was going to do his best to accomplish his mission. Tired of pursuits and Ottoman prisons, he went to have a rest near to his Master, after appointing the bishop Hagop Hovsepian his successor.