Diocese of Shirak

Diocese of Shirak Շիրակի թեմ
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God
Location
Country	Armenia
Territory	Shirak Province
Statistics
Population - Total	(as of 2016 est.) ~192,000
Information
Denomination	Armenian Apostolic Church
Rite	Armenian Rite
Established	31 August 1920
Cathedral	Holy Mother of God, Gyumri
Secular priests	21
Current leadership
Patriarch	Karekin II
Primate	Bishop Mikael Ajapahyan
Website
Official web

Diocese of Shirak (Armenian: Շիրակի թեմ Shiraki t'em), is one of the dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church covering the northern and middle parts of the Shirak Province of Armenia. It almost covers the entire province except the southern town of Artik and the surrounding villages.

The diocese was officially founded on August 31, 1920, upon a kontakion issued by Catholicos George V. The seat of the diocese is the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in Gyumri. The prelacy building is located on Rizhkov street near the cathedral, at the centre of Gyumri.

In the final days of the First Republic of Armenia, the diocese was established upon a kontakion issued by Catholicos George V on August 31, after being separated from the Araratian Pontifical Diocese.

The prelacy building of the Diocese of Shirak is located on Varpetats Street of Gyumri, near the Vartanants Square. It was designed by Hovhannes Katchaznouni and built at the beginning of the 20th century.

On December 2, 2012, the southern town of Artik and the surrounding 23 villages were separated from the Diocese of Shirak to form the newly established Diocese of Artik.

Currently, the diocese has 8 active churches under its jurisdiction in the city of Gyumri, along with many other churches in the Shirak Province.