On April 28, 2016, upon receiving the blessing of His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, a group of Armenian faithful of Tbilisi led by Rev. Father Narek Ghushyan, Pastor of the Surb Etchmiadzin Church, traveled to Jerusalem. The pilgrimage lasted for 10 days. Their big dream to visit Jerusalem came true.

For Armenians, a pilgrimage to the Promised Land is imbued with sacred meaning: children of the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion, the nation which has the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, dream of visiting one of Hierarchical Sees of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. This pilgrimage of Armenians of Tbilisi became a link in a gold chain of Armenian pilgrimage.

It is worth mentioning that Easter in Jerusalem is celebrated according to the Julian calendar that is why the Armenian pilgrims of Tbilisi were happy to attend Holy Week services, morning and evening Divine Liturgies in the Holy Land, which filled their hearts with peace and joy.

During ten days of pilgrimage the pilgrims of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia were joined by the pilgrims from Armenia, Russian and Canada.

Rev. Father Narek Ghushyan celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Tomb of the Blessed Virgin, pilgrims attended the service and took Holy Communion.

The Armenian pilgrims of Tbilisi had the honor to attend religious procession and the Divine Liturgy celebrated once in a year on the day after Easter. Jerusalem Patriarch Archbishop Nurhan Manougian led the celebrations in Sts. James Cathedral. The pilgrims had a chance to see Armenian Jerusalem.

The pilgrims returned to Tbilisi spiritually reborn, filled with rich impressions and joyful bliss, hoping to come back again.