The Christmas day celebration at the Armenian Cathedral in Moscow was marked by a solemn ceremony of accepting a unique gift, a relic of Gregory the Illuminator (the patron saint who, in 301, converted Armenia from paganism to Christianity, becoming the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church),

The relic was a gift by Artur Janibekyan, a Moscow-based Armenian businessman who now heads Gazprom Media Holding. He bought the item at an auction in Paris after finding out that it had for three years been under the possession of Giom Aral, a French-Armenian collector. The man had purchased the sacred piece from a Nepal antiquities store, acquiring all the necessary accompanying documents. The box bears a seal by a Roman Catholic bishop, which affirms the genuine origins of the relic, Armeniatv.am reports.

In his speech at the ceremony, Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan, the prelate of the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakicevan, highly praised the benefactor for the generous move which he said would largely help to enrich the church’s collection.

“I am thankful to Lord for having this opportunity to bring the relic to our church to the benefit and in the interests of our people and our believers,” Janibekyan said in response.

The sacred relic will be put on display four times a year at the church feasts dedicated to the first patriarch.