# Fame.am profile — machine-readable export
# Canonical URL: https://fame.am/person/gregory-the-illuminator
# Generated: 2026-09-07T20:12:41.917Z

schema: https://schema.org/Person
url: "https://fame.am/person/gregory-the-illuminator"
name: "Gregory the Illuminator"
slug: "gregory-the-illuminator"
description: "He turned an entire kingdom Christian after surviving 14 years at the bottom of a pit — punishment for refusing to honor a pagan goddess. The man who threw him in became his first convert, and Armenia became the first state to make Christianity official."
tagline: "Patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church (c.257–c.331)"
image: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/%D4%B1%D5%B6%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%BF_%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5_%D5%B6%D5%AF%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%B9%2C_18-%D6%80%D5%A4_%D5%A4%D5%A1%D6%80_%D5%8D%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%80%D5%A2_%D4%B3%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A3%D5%B8%D6%80_%D4%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%B9.jpg"
gender: "male"
category:
  name: "Religious Figures"
  slug: "religious-figures"
profileType:
  name: "Religious Figure"
  slug: "religious-figure"
birthDate: "252"
deathDate: "329"
livingStatus: "DECEASED"
scores:
  popularity:           54.62
  momentum:             0
  historical:           22.67868666666667
  currentAttention:     0
  sourceConfidence:     60
  profileCompleteness:  60
  trendDirection:       "STABLE"
ranks:
  global:   null
  country:  null
  category: null
tags:
  - name: "Religious Figures"
    slug: "religious-figures"
  - name: "Religious Figure"
    slug: "religious-figure"
  - name: "Religion"
    slug: "religion"
  - name: "Ancient History"
    slug: "ancient-history"
sources:
  - url: "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309953"
    title: "Wikidata"
    type:  "WIKIDATA"
  - url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_the_Illuminator"
    title: "Wikipedia"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://pantheon.world/profile/person/Gregory%20the%20Illuminator"
    title: "Pantheon 2.0"
    type:  "DATABASE"
  - url: "https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB"
    title: "Григорий Просветител"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregori_l'Il%C2%B7luminador"
    title: "Gregori l'Il·luminador"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ce.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B0_%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8"
    title: "Серлонча Григори"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%98eho%C5%99_Osv%C4%9Btitel"
    title: "Řehoř Osvětitel"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Lysbringeren"
    title: "Gregor Lysbringeren"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_der_Erleuchter"
    title: "Gregor der Erleuchter"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_la_Iluminanto"
    title: "Gregorio la Iluminanto"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_I_el_Iluminador"
    title: "Gregorio I el Iluminador"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_Argi-emailea"
    title: "Gregorio Argi-emailea"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%DA%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%AF%D9%88%D8%B1_%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%B1"
    title: "گریگور روشنگر"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorios_Valontuoja"
    title: "Gregorios Valontuoja"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9goire_Ier_l'Illuminateur"
    title: "Grégoire Ier l'Illuminateur"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregoarius_de_Ferljochter"
    title: "Gregoarius de Ferljochter"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A1_%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A8"
    title: "גרגוריוס המאיר"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grgur_Prosvjetitelj"
    title: "Grgur Prosvjetitelj"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vil%C3%A1gos%C3%ADt%C3%B3_Szent_Gergely"
    title: "Világosító Szent Gergely"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D4%B3%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A3%D5%B8%D6%80_%D4%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%A1%D5%BE%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%B9"
    title: "Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://hyw.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8D._%D4%B3%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A3%D5%B8%D6%80_%D4%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%BD%D5%A1%D6%82%D5%B8%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%B9"
    title: "Ս. Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorius_sang_Pencerah"
    title: "Gregorius sang Pencerah"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_Illuminatore"
    title: "Gregorio Illuminatore"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ka.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%83%92%E1%83%A0%E1%83%98%E1%83%92%E1%83%9D%E1%83%9A_%E1%83%92%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%9B%E1%83%90%E1%83%9C%E1%83%90%E1%83%97%E1%83%9A%E1%83%94%E1%83%91%E1%83%94%E1%83%9A%E1%83%98"
    title: "გრიგოლ განმანათლებელი"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B3%84%EB%AA%BD%EC%9E%90_%EA%B7%B8%EB%A0%88%EA%B3%A0%EB%A6%AC%EC%98%A4"
    title: "계몽자 그레고리오"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://it.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gregorio_Illuminatore"
    title: "Wikiquote"
    type:  "WEBSITE"
  - url: "https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%BA%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%BA%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1"
    title: "غريغوريوس المستنير"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"
  - url: "https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%B3_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%B1"
    title: "جريجريوس المستنير"
    type:  "WIKIPEDIA"

# bio (long form, separated for readability)
bio: |
  Gregory was born around 257, the son of Anak, a Parthian nobleman who assassinated Armenia's King Khosrov II. While Anak's family was wiped out in retribution, the boy was smuggled to safety and raised Christian in Caesarea of Cappadocia. He returned to Armenia as an adult and entered the service of King Tiridates III — the dead king's son. When Gregory refused to sacrifice to a pagan goddess, Tiridates had him tortured; when the king learned who Gregory's father was, he had him thrown into a deep pit called Khor Virap and left for dead. Fourteen years later, with the king's sister interceding, Gregory was pulled out alive. He converted Tiridates, healed him of what the sources call madness brought on by sin, and in 301 baptized the king and the Armenian people — making Armenia the first state to adopt Christianity. Consecrated bishop, Gregory traveled the country destroying pagan temples and raising churches. He eventually withdrew to live as a hermit, passing the patriarchate to his son Aristaces.