Armenologist, pedagogue, docent, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia
He was born on December 17, 1867, in Maghavuz (Chardakhlu) village of Jraberd province of Nagorno-Karabakh.
He received his primary education at Amaras School, Kusapat Desert, and Shushi diocesan schools.
In 1882, Hovsepyan was accepted and in 1889 graduated from the Etchmiadzin Gevorgian Seminary, and was ordained a celibate deacon. He received his higher education at the universities of Berlin, Halle, and Leipzig. In 1897, Hovsepyan received the Ph.D. degree. In September of the same year, he was invited to Gevorgyan Seminary to lecture, and, on November 30, he was ordained abegha (a celibate priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church), then, in 1898, he was ordained a priest. Hovsepyan was the librarian-inspector of the seminary for different years. From 1905-1908 and 1915-1919 he edited "Ararat" magazine, and was appointed Abbot of S.Hripsime. In summer, 1915, G. Hovsepyan embarked on the task of organizing large-scale aid to the Armenians who migrated from Vaspurakan to Etchmiadzin as a result of the Genocide. In 1917, All-Armenian Catholicos Gevorg V Surenyants ordained Hovsepyan a bishop. Hovsepyan was one of the organizers and active participants of the heroic battle of Sardarapat in 1918. Seeing the self-sacrifice of the defenders of Sardarapat, particularly the soldiers of the 5th regiment, G. Hovsepyan called it a death row regiment. He was awarded the "Georgian Cross" order for his bravery.
In May 1919, Hovsepyan was one of the members of the organizing committee and one of the first lecturers of the University of Armenia established in Alexandropol (now Gyumri). He was an associate professor, and acting dean of the Faculty of History and Linguistics, teaching church history, history of Armenian art, art of writing, and archeology.
Together with Al. Tamanyan, A. Melik-Kalantar, and others, he participated in the creation of the Antiquities Protection Committee of Armenia. In May 1921, he was appointed a member of the collegium of Etchmiadzin Cultural-Historical Institute, the first of Soviet Armenia's scientific research institutions, and head of the museum.
In 1927-1934 G. Hovsepyan was the leader of the Armenian spiritual diocese of Russia, Crimea, and New Nakhichevan, in 1938-1943, the leader of the American diocese, and in 1943-1952, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.
During the Second World War, G. Hovsepyan greatly contributed to the collection of material funds for the "Sasuntsi Davit" tank convoy, to unite Diaspora Armenians around the motherland and organize immigration in 1946.
He left a rich scientific legacy. Particularly important are "Fragments from folklore" (Tbilisi, 1892), "Khosrovik the translator and his ambivalence" (Tbilisi, 1903), "Malachi Archbishop Ormanian and the election of the Catholicos" (Tbilisi, 1911), "The art of writing among ancient Armenians" (Vagharshapat, 1913), "Khalbakyank or Proshyank in Armenian history: historical study" (1928-1944, in three volumes), "Daredevils of Sassoun" (Yerevan, 1932), "Materials and studies of the history of Armenian art and culture" (1935-1951, five volumes), "Toward light and life. sermons, literary-artistic and philosophical articles" (Antelias, 1947), "Memorial Manuscript" (Antelias, 1951), etc.
G. Hovsepyan was one of the founders of Armenian archeology, the art of writing and manuscript heritage, and the study of Armenian miniatures.
Passed away on June 21, 1952, in Antelias.
