Archbishop, pedagogue
Ter-Movsisyan was born on May 7, 1865, in the Shikahogh village of Zangezur. In 1882, he graduated from Shushi Diocese, in 1885 - from Tbilisi Nersisyan School, and in 1890 - from Dorpat University. He improved his professional knowledge in Vienna, Paris, Jerusalem, London, Berlin, and Venice. In 1902, Ter-Movsisyan received a Master's degree in Armenian philology.
He worked as an inspector of church-parochial schools of Yerevan Diocese, director of Shushi Diocesan Spiritual School, and presiding member of Shamakhi Armenian Spiritual Council. From 1890-1904, Ter-Movsisyan participated in the excavations of Zvartnots as part of Khachik Dadyan's expedition. Since 1904, he had been active in the return of church and monastic property confiscated by the tsarist autocracy. From 1905-1906, Ter-Movsisyan participated in the pacification of the riotous Muslim population of the Nakhichevan and Zangezur provinces and in organizing aid for Armenians affected by the Tatar pogroms.
From 1907 to 1910, Ter-Movsisyan was in Constantinople, Jerusalem, Rome, Paris, London, and Venice and was included in the commissions for the development of programs of church schools, and then he was appointed a member of Etchmiadzin Synod, inspector of the Gevorgian Seminary, and ordained a bishop. From 1913-1916, Ter-Movsisyan was the diocesan leader of Georgia and Imereti, and in 1917 – in Astrakhan.
During the years of the First World War, he took an active part in the formation of Armenian volunteer squads, provided material and moral support to soldiers, wounded, and refugees, and collected funds in various cities of Transcaspian and Turkestan for the benefit of Western Armenian emigrants and orphans.
In 1919, Ter-Movsisyan was invited to the newly opened University of Armenia as a professor of Armenian literature and religious bibliography and was the first dean of the history-linguistics faculty. On the day of the solemn opening of the university on January 31, 1920, delivered the first academic lecture on the topic "Significance of Armenian monasteries in the cultural affairs of Armenia".
From 1922-1932, Ter-Movsisyan headed the diocese of Persia-India.
He authored 130 scientific works, among which are "Journey of His Holiness Mkrtich Catholicos of All Armenians from Jerusalem to Etchmiadzin" (1894), "Armenian Village House" (1894), "Ecclesiastical History of Socrates Scholasticus translated by Philo Tirakatsi and History of the Bishop of Seghbestros translated into Roman by Abbas Grigori" (1897), "Description of the spiritual leader Hovasap, the son of the king of India" (1897).
Ter-Movsisyan passed away on June 3, 1939.
