Fr Hardon defines it as: ARMENIAN RITE. Used by the Armenian Church, it is substantially the Greek Liturgy of St. Basil (329-79). It includes some elements of the Antiochene Rite, and originally used the Syriac language, but now the Armenian. Both Catholic and dissident Oriental Christians follow this rite.
The liturgy is patterned after the directives of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, first official head and patron saint of the Armenian Church. Churches of the Armenian rite have a curtain concealing the priest and the altar from the people during parts of the liturgy, an influence from early apostolic times.
The order of the Armenian celebration of the Eucharist or Mass is initially influenced by the Syriac and Cappadocian Christians, then (from the 5th century AD onwards) by Jerusalemites, then by Byzantines (from circa the 10th century) and lastly by the Latins. The Armenians are the only liturgical tradition using wine without added water. They also use unleavened bread for the Eucharist, which has been their historic practice.
From all the Armenian language anaphoras the only one currently in use is the anaphora of Athanasius of Alexandria. It became the standard anaphora of the Armenian church before the end of the 10th century and is a translation of the Greek version. In research it is often attributed to Gregory of Nazianzus, or to an older version of the Armenian anaphora of St. Basil or seen as a composite text.
It is used by the Armenian Catholic Churches. It is also the rite used by a significant number of Eastern Catholic Christians in Georgia.
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