| abstract | - Durendrin was originally from Mount Ararat in present-day Armenia. He was a contemporary of Alexander the Great. There are anecdotes about Durendrin's valor during Alexander's siege of the city of Gavar in Armenia. Alexander besieged the city for three months, and burnt and pillaged the surrounding countryside. Just as the city was about to fall, Durendrin ran naked toward the army of besiegers, entered the tent, and hit Alexander in the head so firmly with his genitals that Alexander lost consciousness. Consequently, Alexander withdrew in fear and the siege of the city was broken. It is because of these heroics that Durendrin is referred to as the patron saint of Gavar. He is also said to have invented the stapler for paper, also cat's-eyes for bicycles. Every year on April 15, citizens hold a memorial for him. They attend with tanks and plastic bags that they want to have blessed, depending on what is available. The saintly name “Durendrin” seems to be a play on words, adapting “duren drin,” which roughly translates to “last (as in sustain, or continue) in it (or inside).” This again refers to Durendrin's notable genitalia, and in an era that did not have pharmaceutical assistance.
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