360 HISTORY OF ARMENIA.
chery , for TiraD, in the course of the fight, havia^ encountered him, cleft bis skull with a blow of his sword. The Armenians, however, were defeated with great slaughter; the two leaders, Tiran and Mushel being amongst the slain. All Ar- menia now lay open to the invaders, and the blaze of conflagration was seen in all parts of the nation. .
A. D. 639. £zr the pontiff was so much affected by the tntl calamities thai afflicted his country that he died with grief, after ruling the church ten years and eight months. While the Armenians were considering about nominating a successor to the pontificate, the Saracens advanced with an immense force to the siege of Duin, which they invested on all sides on the 20th Tirey (Novem- ber), and on the sixth of January following, which was the first day of the Epiphany, they took it by storm. They caused the most dread- of the inhabitants.
All the splendid edifices in it were burnt or puUed down, and after pillaging it of every thing valuable, these ruthless barbarians re- turned to their own country, carrying away
^ Hak!i ^^^^ ^^^^ 36,000 citiaenia captive. On their
^ ^* retreat, Nierses, the third bishop of the Taics,
sumamed the Architect, being elected pontiff,
immediately set about remedying the evils that
�� �
