ABGAR DPIR. - Also called Safar, an Armenian nobleman of Senekerim, king of Sebaste, born in Eudocia (Tokat). In the year 1561, during a meeting with the katholikos Michele I, A. received the charge of a political-religious mission to Rome, where he was received benevolently by Pope Pio IV, who through him invited the Armenian patriarch to Rome to discuss Armenian questions.
At the Pope’s request, A. set down in writing the profession of the Armenian faith, with a clear exposition of doctrine and discipline, finally drawing the Pontiff’s attention to the Armenian people groaning under the yoke of the Turkish-Persian Muslims.
His son Sultanšah (called Marcantonio by the Pope) enjoyed the Pontiff’s favor and held delicate offices in Rome. A. deserves credit for inaugurating the use of the printing press for Armenian editions.