The word “Badarak” (Պատարագ – Patarag) means “offering” or “sacrifice”. It is the most sacred service of the Armenian Apostolic Church and corresponds to the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox tradition. The Badarak is not merely a prayer gathering of the faithful, but the summit of church life and the crown of all the sacraments.
At the centre of the Badarak stands the sacrifice of Christ. The Church does not perform a new sacrifice; it participates mystically in the one and eternal sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ Himself is at once the High Priest who offers the sacrifice and the Lamb who is offered for the salvation of the world.
The Armenian tradition sums up the essence of the Badarak in these words:
“Christ, offering Himself in sacrifice, is distributed among us.”
For this reason every believer who crosses the threshold of the church is called to prepare spiritually through prayer, repentance and confession, and bodily through fasting and abstinence according to the prescriptions of the Church.
The curtain in the Armenian church
One of the distinctive features of Armenian churches is the use of a curtain before the altar. Its origin is ancient, recalling both the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem and the mysterious character of the eucharistic actions.
Certain rites are meant to remain hidden from human eyes: at the beginning, the naming of the Holy Gifts; later, the communion of the clergy, a remembrance of the Last Supper; and a third time, the washing of the sacred vessels.
The curtain is closed and opened at appointed moments of the service. This does not mean that anything is being “hidden” from the people. Rather, it emphasises that sacred actions are taking place, drawing the faithful towards reverence and contemplation of the divine mystery.
The Creed
During the Badarak the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is proclaimed. It expresses the common Christian faith, formulated at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325) and completed at the Second Ecumenical Council in Constantinople (381) — long before the divisions among the Christian churches.
The proclamation of the Creed bears witness that all present confess one and the same apostolic faith.
The two principal parts of the Badarak
Traditionally the Badarak is divided into two principal parts.
- Yerakhayits Badarak – the Liturgy of the Catechumens
This is the first part of the service. In antiquity it was attended both by baptised Christians and by catechumens, those preparing for Baptism.
In this part passages from Holy Scripture are read, prayers are offered and the word of God is proclaimed. This is done so that all who remain in the church until the end are known to confess the same doctrine, that of the universal Church.
It concludes with the proclamation of the Creed.
- Havadatsyalneri Badarak – the Liturgy of the Faithful
There follows the eucharistic part proper, intended for the full members of the Church.
The priest prepares for this moment by removing all ornaments from himself, for until now he has represented Christ, but the Son of God Himself is about to come to the table. From this moment it is held that the whole heavenly host descends among us to serve Christ.
Here the offering of the Holy Gifts begins. The bread and the wine are placed upon the holy altar and the entire service turns towards the mystery of the Eucharist.
According to the faith of the Armenian Apostolic Church — as of all churches of apostolic succession: Orthodox, Catholic and Coptic — the bread and the wine are not mere symbols, but truly become the Body and Blood of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit.
The eucharistic canon
The heart of the Badarak is the eucharistic canon, in which the bread and the wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
Here the Church:
- commemorates the Holy Mother of God, the apostles, the martyrs and all the saints;
- recalls the Last Supper;
- offers thanksgiving to God;
- invokes the Holy Spirit upon the Gifts;
- commemorates the Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ;
- offers prayers for the living and the departed.
In this way the earthly and the heavenly Church are joined in one common worship.
The eucharistic canon concludes with the dipping of the bread into the wine, a symbol also of the Baptism of Christ. Holy Communion follows, and then the final thanksgiving, after which the people are dismissed in peace.
The symbolism of the liturgical actions
The Armenian liturgy is rich in symbolism recalling various events from the life of Christ.
Among the most frequently cited interpretations are:
- the descent of the priest and his procession through the church – the coming of Christ among the people and His preaching;
- the ascent to the altar – the Ascension of the Lord;
- the Veraperum (Elevation of the Gifts) – the victory of Christ over death and hell: the moment when He broke the gates of hades and raised up the souls of those held captive;
- the closing of the curtain – the mysterious moments of the Last Supper;
- the dipping of the consecrated bread into the consecrated wine – the Baptism of the Lord;
- Holy Communion – the union of the faithful with Christ.
It should be noted that some of these symbolic interpretations are spiritual and liturgical explanations rather than formal doctrinal definitions.
Holy Communion
The culmination of the Badarak is Holy Communion.
The Armenian Church believes that in Communion the faithful truly receive Christ — His Body and His Blood. This is the fullest possible communion between God and man in earthly life.
After Communion there follow prayers of thanksgiving, and the people are sent forth with blessing and peace.
The spiritual meaning of the Badarak
The Badarak is not merely a sequence of prayers and beautiful hymns. It is a living participation in the saving work of Christ. Through it the faithful are united not only with one another, but with the apostles, the martyrs, the saints and all the generations of Christians before them.
The beautiful hymns serve to create the right inward disposition for each moment. The movements, the incense, the curtain and all the liturgical actions serve one purpose: to lead a person into the mystery of God’s presence and to make them a participant in the heavenly worship.
This is precisely why, in the Armenian tradition, the Badarak is understood not simply as a service, but as an encounter with the living Christ, who “offers Himself and is distributed among us”.