ԱՆՏԻՈՔԻ ԴԵՐԸ ԼԵՎՈՆ ՄԵԾԱԳՈՐԾԻ ՔԱՂԱՔԱԿԱՆՈՒԹՅԱՆ ՄԵՋ THE ROLE OF ANTIOCH IN THE POLICY OF LEVON THE

Starting from 1176, a group of high-ranking Armenian clerics close to Nersēs of Lambron, the Bishop of Tarsus, in response to the 9th point of the demand set forth by Manuel I Komnenos (1143–1180), proposed the emperor to recognize the Armenian Catholicos as Patriarch of Antioch. According to Nersēs, only such a change in the hierarchical system of the Ecumenical Church could enable the emperor to participate in the election of the Armenian catholicoi. The Armenian church leaders were guided by the principle that such a change could mitigate the conflict between the Byzantine, Western Syrian and Catholic churches over the patriarchate of Antioch, which had already lasted for several centuries. By achieving this goal, the Armenian Church hoped to commune not only with the Byzantine but also with the Roman, West and East Syrian churches. This endeavor was also present in the activities of the Armenian Catholicos Gregory VII of Anavarz (1293–1307). The efforts of Leo the Great (1187–1219) to unite the Cilician state with the Crusadеr state of Antioch are also noticeable – a policy that ended in complete failure.