"Tyrant (Kuregyan)"

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Tyrant (in the world Kazaros Aykazovich Kuregyan, ; September 2, 1948, Nicosia, British Cyprus) - defrocked bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in 1976-2000 - Bishop of Russia and Novo-Nakhchivan.

Biography
Born in 1948 in Nicosia, Cyprus to a family of refugees from Cilicia. In 1962, the Kuregyan family repatriated to Armenia (USSR).

In 1968 he was ordained deacon. In 1970 he graduated from the Theological Academy in Echmiadzin.

From 1971 to 1972 he studied French in Paris, France.

On October 15, 1972, he was ordained a priest with a vow of celibacy and monastic tonsure.

From 1972 to 1973 he was secretary of Catholicos Wazgen I.

In 1973-1975 he served in the Soviet Army.

From 1975 to 1976 he was the administrator of the Echmiadzin Catholicosate.

Bishop of Novo-Nakhchivan and Russian
On April 2, 1976, by order of Catholicos Vazgen I, he was appointed head of the Novonakhichevan and Russian dioceses.

When I headed the diocese, it had only five registered parishes – in Moscow, Armavir, Ordzhonikidze, Budennovsk and the village of Chaltyr (Rostov region). Church buildings were in a state of disrepair, priests were not enough even for these five parishes. I managed to renovate all the churches (and some of the buildings were restored). In 1980, I opened a Sunday school for children in Moscow. Can you imagine opening a Sunday school in 1980?

With me, the Diocesan Council has become a truly influential body. It included Moscow Armenians, prominent representatives of science and culture.

During his administration of the diocese, there was a significant increase in the Armenian diaspora in Russia. As a result of mass emigration, Armenians have become one of the largest national communities, widely represented in many regions of the country.

May 14, 1997 by the order of the President of the Russian Federation No. 185-rp was introduced into the Council for interaction with religious associations under the President of the Russian Federation.

On June 29, 1999, Catholicos Garegin I died. Archbishop Tirana headed the opposition to the future Catholicos Garegin II during the elections. Before the elections, he, along with a group of well-known hierarchs of the AAC, issued a statement in which he stated that the Armenian government is trying to impose the candidacy of Karegin II on the Church Council with all its might, which calls into question the legitimacy of the election of the head of the church.

After the election of Karegin II as Catholicos on October 27, 1999, relations between him and Archbishop Tirana (Kuregyan) were very tense from the very beginning.

After dismissal and dispensation
On October 5, 2000, Catholicos Garegin II was dismissed during a visit to Echmiadzin to agree on the consecration of the foundation of the cathedral under construction in Moscow; his successor was appointed brother of Catholicos Garegin II Archimandrite Ezras (Nersisyan). He refused the offer of the Catholicos to head the Ukrainian diocese, citing his pro-Russian orientation. According to Kyureghyan’s account in 2012: When I was in Echm