ABSTRACT
The case of the Armenian Apostolic Church is interesting in terms of its similarities and differences to how events unfolded in the Russian Church, whilst the aftermath of the Soviet legacy still plagues the Armenian Church today in a manner similar to that of the Russian Church. The catalyst for the realisation of division of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the diaspora was the assassination of Archbishop Leon Tourian on 24 December 1933. The schism in the Armenian diaspora was thus analogous to the Russian case. As the Cold War solidified, the Soviet Union's attempts to control and influence the powerful and well-organised Armenian diaspora intensified. The secularization of the Church continues to have an effect on not only the relationship between Etchmiadzin and Antelias, but on the relationship of the Church with Armenian society in Armenia and the Diaspora. The interesting similarity between the Armenian and Russian cases is the legacy of the Soviet experience.
