Two Pilgrims

«Two Pilgrims» — a historical religious novel by the current Patriarch of Constantinople, Saak Mashalyan, published in 2017 in Armenia. It tells the story of the lives of two ascetics of the Armenian church: Ovanes Bagisheci (Kolota; 1678–1741) and Grigor Shhtayakir (Verigonosets; 1670–1749) before they became the Patriarchs of Constantinople and Jerusalem, respectively. The contributions of Kolota and Shhtayakir to Armenian culture are immense: they founded the first choir of singers at the cathedral, saved ancient Armenian manuscripts, built monasteries, and helped people. This novel, full of poetic metaphors and deep mystical feeling, will be of interest not only to those who are curious about the history of the Armenian Church but also to anyone seeking a genuine miracle.