Nerses was the son of the
Hethumid lord of Lambron, Oshin II, and the nephew of the
Catholicos (1166–1173)
Nerses IV. His mother Shahandukht was a descendant of
St. Gregory the Illuminator. Nerses was well versed in sacred and profane sciences and had an excellent knowledge of
Greek,
Latin,
Syriac, and probably
Coptic. His early education was at Skevravank (Skevra monastery) which was continued at Hromkla under the supervision of his uncle Nerses and Grigor Tgha (Gregory IV the Young, Catholicos from 1173 to 1193). Nerses became a zealous advocate of the union of the Greek and Armenian Churches. In 1179 he attended the Council of
Hromkla, in which the terms of the union were discussed; his address at this council is considered a masterpiece of eloquence and style. The union was decided upon but never consummated owing to the death of Emperor
Manuel Comnenus in 1180. Manuel's successors abandoned the negotiations and persecuted the Armenians, who were dissatisfied with the Byzantines and turned to the Latins.
Leo II, Prince of Cilicia, desirous to secure for himself the title of King of Armenia, sought the support of
Pope Celestine III and of Emperor
Henry VI. The pope received his request favourably, but made the granting of it dependent upon the union of Cilicia to the Church of Rome. He sent
Conrad,
Archbishop of Mainz, to
Tarsus, and the terms of union having been signed by Leo and twelve of the bishops, among whom was Nerses, Leo was crowned
King of Armenia, 6 January 1198. Nerses died six months afterwards, on 17 July. Saint Nerses of Lambron is commemorated July 17th and August 15th by the
Armenian Apostolic Church and the
Armenian Catholic Church. ==Works==