Monasteries of Varag and Surb Karapet Khrimian returned to Van in 1857 and established the Zharangavorats School at
Varagavank monastery. He founded a publishing house at the monastery, through which he resumed the publication of
Artsvi Vaspurakan in 1859. Its publication continued until 1864. In 1862 he was appointed abbot of the
Surb Karapet Monastery near Mush, which meant he was also the prelate of
Taron. He revitalized the monastery and transformed it into a flourishing center. He founded a school there and a journal, called
Artsvik Tarono ("Eaglet of Taron"). He succeeded in convincing the
wali (governor) of the
Erzurum Vilayet to lower taxes for Armenians.
Patriarch of Constantinople On 20 October 1868, Khrimian was ordained as a bishop in
Etchmiadzin. On 4 September 1869 he was elected as the
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, who was the
de facto leader of the Armenian community of the Ottoman Empire in both religious and secular matters. According to Ali Tekkoyun, a Turkish scholar of religion, his election indicated that the Amira (wealthiest) class and the imperial authorities lost power over the Armenians as went against their interests. He cleared the patriarchate's debt and sought to increase the provincial representation in the
Armenian National Assembly. As the
de facto political leader of the Christian Armenian
millet in the eyes of the
Sublime Porte, he prepared a detailed report documenting instances of oppression, persecution, and miscarriage of justice in the Armenian provinces and presented the document to the Sublime Porte. Khrimian used the position to advance the interests and conditions of the poor and oppressed provincial Armenians. The
Khrimian report, officially titled
First Report on Provincial Oppressions needs to be understood in the context of the
Tanzimat reforms (1839, 1856). Aimed at centralizing the administration and improving the tax base of the government, the reforms had not been effectively implemented in the more peripheral parts of the Empire, among them the Anatolian provinces. As a consequence, the local populations often suffered from double taxation, both from the central government and from the part of local tribal leaders who had access to tax farming rights, most of them Kurdish notables. Issues explicitly mentioned in Khrimian's report include: violence committed by tax farmers against the local population, forced conversions to Islam and other crimes committed out of religious fanaticism, over-taxation, and neglect of tax farmer duties, leading to harvest losses. The report also made several suggestions on how to address these problems: In particular, the Kurdish tribesmen were supposed to be disarmed and taught an agricultural lifestyle. Moreover, the report asked for the creation of an effective police force, with Armenians being allowed to serve at all levels, and for transparent communication of the Sublime Porte's orders. His outspokenness about the issues facing the Armenian population annoyed not only the Ottoman authorities but some of the Armenian wealthy elite. According to
Gerard Libaridian, the promotion of rights of provincial Armenians "made him an enemy of many influential Armenians in Istanbul." He was compelled to resign by the Ottoman government in 1873. Armayis Vartooguian wrote in 1896 that Khrimian "could have held the post of Patriarch of Constantinople for life had he not been driven to resign by the intrigues of the Turkish Government, which disliked him very much because of his zeal for the well-being of his flock." Following his resignation, Khrimian dedicated his time to literary pursuits. == Berlin Congress ==