The Sudyents (or Sargsents, Sargsyan) family holds a unique place in the history of Rind, known for its deep spiritual roots and special attention to its historical legacy. The founders of this extended family were dedicated and progressive figures who left their mark on both the spiritual and social life of the village.
Origins and Settlement in Rind
There are several versions regarding the origins of the family. Although an oral tradition of migrating from the Salmast province of Parskahayk (Persian Armenia) has been preserved among some family members, according to the memoirs of family member Vachagan Sargsyan, their ancestors lived in Artsakh. According to these records, in the 1770s, two brothers, Gharib and Bab, migrated and, after a long search, settled in the village of Aghavnadzor in Vayots Dzor. This version is also confirmed by Aghavnadzor’s archival documents, according to which Bab came to Aghavnadzor from Artsakh after 1835 (the family’s surnames in Aghavnadzor are Babayan and Sargsyan).
Gharib had one son, Ter-Petros, who served as a priest at the Aghavnadzor church. Ter-Petros had three sons: Sargis, Ghazar, and Gharib (Martiros). The latter died at a young age (before turning 25) and left no heirs.
Origin of the Name “Sudyents” and Sargis’s Activities
The history of the family name is closely connected to Sargis’s official activities and authority. According to preserved family memoirs, Sargis was one of the educated and progressive figures of his time, speaking several languages (Russian, Georgian, etc.). For many years, he worked as a judge in Pashalu (present-day Zaritap), which was a regional center at that time.
Because of this position, when addressing his descendants or relatives, the villagers began to use the Russian root “sudya” (judge) and the Armenian suffix “-ents”. Over the years, this name evolved into Sudyents, and in the local dialect—Sugyents.
Parallel to his judicial and state affairs, Sargis also enjoyed the great trust of the clergy, continuing the spiritual legacy of his father, Ter-Petros (in the 1852 parish records, he is mentioned as the priest of Rind). A notable mention is found in the work “Travel Notes” by the Armenian writer Gabriel Ter-Hovhannisyan (Kajberuni). Referring to the prominent Arkazi Holy Cross (Surb Khach) monastery, he writes that the internal management and revenues of the monastery were entrusted to a contractor chosen each year, who was called the “supervisor” (veratesuch). Kajberuni states that in the 1860s, the supervisor of Surb Khach was none other than Sargis Ter-Petrosyants. This emphasizes the high position and impeccable authority he held throughout the entire province.
Branches, Surnames, and Human Fates
Sargis and Ghazar laid the foundation for the two main branches of the family, which today carry the surnames Sargsyan and Ghazaryan.
Sargis’s Branch: Sargis was married twice. From his first wife, he had three sons: Martiros (b. 1857), Yerem (1861), and Arshak (1870). The fates of these sons were quite tragic and dramatic:
The eldest son, Martiros, was a shepherd, a farmer, and an ordinary laborer. He had two sons: Yeranos and Gurgen. Yeranos had three sons and four daughters. Two of his sons moved to the village of Sisavan in the Ararat region, where their descendants still live today, while the eldest son remained in Rind with his uncle. From this branch comes the worthy son of the family, Gurgen Sargsyan (b. 1987), who on November 4, 2020, during the war unleashed by Azerbaijan, heroically achieved immortality in the battles for the defense of the city of Shushi in the Republic of Artsakh.
Yerem left his family at the age of 18 and settled in Tiflis. According to family memoirs, he became a merchant, acquiring a merchant’s mentality and deceiving even his relatives. When he returned to the village years later, gravely ill but wealthy, his elder brother Martiros refused to take him in. Yerem found shelter in the home of his uncle Ghazar, where he died childless.
Arshak also died at a young age, just three months after getting married. He had one daughter, who later married in the village of Areni.
After his wife’s death, Sargis married Anna from Karaglukh and had three more sons: Vasil, Tigran, and Poghos. It is these three brothers who left the most descendants, becoming the forefathers of today’s populous branches:
- Vasil’s sons are Sargis, Manuk, and Asatur.
- Poghos’s sons are Sirekan and Aghasi.
- Tigran’s sons are Nikola, Vagharshak, and Artash. Nikola’s sons are Hamo, Aramayis, Simon, Baris, Siras (Vachagan), Khoren (Arshak), and Yerem.
Ghazar’s Branch: Sargis’s brother Ghazar had two sons: Petros (b. 1863) and Mkrtich (Mgo, b. 1866). Although a son named Smbat is also mentioned in the census records, the family lineage was mainly continued by Mgo and Petros. In the village, their descendants were called Ghazoyents (Ghazarents).
World War II dealt a heavy, irreversible blow to Ghazar’s branch:
Four of Mgo’s sons—Yegho, Habo, Aleksan, and 18-year-old Aghvan—died at the front. The only surviving son, Garegin, moved to the Noyemberyan region with his sons after suffering severe hardships (his son Vardges later settled in the village of Sisavan, Ararat).
Petros, who was famous for his unprecedented hard work and love for the land, also lost two of his sons, Mamikon and Boghdan, to the war in 1941. The lineage was continued by his third son, Karo (whose son was Norik).
Continuation of the Spiritual Legacy
Decades later, the children of the Sudyents family continue to remain faithful to their spiritual roots. On September 13, 2021, a historic event took place in the life of Rind village: the newly built Holy Mother of God (Surb Mariam Astvatsatsin) church was consecrated.
The church was built with the personal funds of a family representative, businessman Vardan Sargsyan (Branch: Ter-Sargis > Tigran > Nikola > Vachagan > Vardan). Support for this sacred endeavor was also provided by another representative of the same family, businessman Sahak Sargsyan. Notably, Vardan Sargsyan founded a company in Moscow named “Rind”. Thus, the spiritual legacy of Ter-Petros’s family continues today through the newly built church in Rind.
Note: This is a historical overview of the Sudyents family. If you would also like to have the digital family tree of the lineage, you can send the data via the provided contact methods. In case of additions or if you notice any typos, please feel free to contact us.
