George VI of Armenia

His Holiness George VI of Armenia Surpreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
File:GevorgVI.jpg
Church	Armenian Apostolic Church
See	Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
Installed	1945
Term ended	1954
Predecessor	Khoren I of Armenia
Successor	Vazgen I
Personal details
Birth name	Gheorg Khachaturovich Cheorekchian (or Tcheorekdjian)
Born	(1868-12-02)December 2, 1868 Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Died	Etchmiadzin, Armenia
Buried	Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

George VI of Armenia (Armenian: Գևորգ Զ. Չորեքչյան (Նորնախիջևանցի), Kevork VI Cheorektjian) (December 2, 1868 – May 9, 1954) was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church from 1945 to 1954.

The position had remained vacant from 1938 to 1945 because of the Joseph Stalin purges against religion, culminating in the murder of the then catholicos Khoren I in 1938. Etchmiadzin was ordered closed and the position of Catholicos of All Armenians remained vacant for 7 years from 1938 to 1945.

But when Stalin himself ordered easing of restrictions against religion, it was allowed for the assignment of Bishop Gevork as new Catholicos of All Armenians as Gevork VI (also known as George VI of Armenia) and was eventually allowed to return to Etchmiadzin.

During the Soviet regime, the press praised George VI as one of the most outstanding supporters of the "struggle for peace".

He died in 1954 and a new catholicos Vazgen I was elected in 1955 as Catholicos of All Armenians.

File:Tombstone - George VI.JPG

Tombstone of George VI, Catholicos of All Armenians, at Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin

George VI is buried near Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Preceded by Khoren I of Armenia followed by Vacant position (1938–1945)

Catholicoi of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin and All Armenians 1945–1954

Succeeded by Vazgen I