Chronology of Catholic Dioceses:Notes on the Apostolic Administrature for the Armenians in all of Russia

After the Communist Revolution in Russia, extraordinary structures were attempted to secure some kind of pastoral care for the Catholics. Of the number and state of the Armenian Catholics in Russian territory little certain was available. But an Apostolic Administrator with residence at Tiflis was appointed for them in 1921. The Annuarios Pontificio from the 1920s make it clear that he was considered part of the (vacant) see of Artvin, in spite of the fact that the apostolic administrature (formally erected in 1926) was listed under Tiraspol. The position is first listed in the Annuario Pontificio 1922.

The Apostolic Administrator was not a bishop, the Annuario Pontificio 1933 states that he was incarcerated in April 1930, and they listed another priest as vicar ad interim. The AP 1937 no longer listed the administrator; the vicar continued to be listed until the AP 1963. But he must have died long before that. In 1972, the Armenian Catholic of Artvin was formally suppressed (almost 100 years after czarist Russia had de facto squashed it).

-CT (with information from Mr. James A. Derrick, and the sources CE and Robertson 1995)