Archbishop Gisak Muradyan passed away in Buenos Aires


His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the Congregation of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed their condolences on the death of the Archbishop. The late Archbishop was one of the elder ministers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. For 32 years, he was the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Argentina and Chile. He was born in 1951 in Aleppo. He studied at the Seminary and the Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In 1963, he was ordained a deacon, and in 1971, he was ordained a priest. In 1975, he left for Argentina as the spiritual pastor of Buenos Aires, where he simultaneously taught, teaching the Armenian language, history of the Armenian people, and religious and ecclesiastical subjects. In 1975, he received the four degrees of vardapet from Patriarch Yeghishe.

Treasures Returning: A Fine Art Collection


The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is not only a spiritual center, but also an exceptional repository of works of art. The painting collection of the Mother See was formed during the reign of Hovhannes VIII Karbetsi, at the beginning of the 19th century, and with the patronage and efforts of His Holiness Karekin II, it was replenished with 436 cultural values. The painting collection of the Mother See was replenished not only with works of Armenian classical, but also with works of contemporary artists.

The Return of Treasures: Antique Books


On the direct initiative of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the Karekin I Educational Center was established, based on the personal book collections of Catholicos Vazgen I, Karekin I, and Karekin II. The antiquarian collection was formed in parallel with the collection that already existed in the Mother See. Currently, there are two collections of antiquarian books in Holy Etchmiadzin. In total, before the enthronement of His Holiness the Patriarch, the Mother See had approximately 2,000 units of antiquarian literature. Over the past 25 years, the two collections have been replenished with approximately 960 units.
In 2021, the Matenadaran was established in the Mother See. A magnificent new building was built under the direction of His Holiness Karekin II. The two-story building houses the book depositories and auxiliary rooms, the administrative part, the reading room, including the reading room for antiquarian books. The collection of antiquities kept in the Matenadaran of the Mother See has 703 specimens, 620 of which arrived in Etchmiadzin during the reign of Catholicos Karekin II.
 

The Return of Treasures: Manuscripts


The manuscript collection of Holy Etchmiadzin has been replenished with 123 manuscripts through the efforts of Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. Now the manuscript collection of the Mother See is the second largest in Armenia after the Mashtotsyan Matenadaran. After the renovation of the Holy See, special cabinets were installed by special order of His Holiness, where the manuscripts of the Mother See are carefully collected. They are not only kept in the manuscript collection, but also exhibited in the museums of the Mother See, participating in exhibitions taking place in Armenia and the Diaspora.

Return of the treasures


Through the mediation and administration of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, 32 reliquaries have been brought to Holy Etchmiadzin in the last quarter of a century: right-shaped, cross-reliquaries, and reliquary vaults. They contain relics of the Armenian Apostolic Church and pan-Christian saints. In 25 years, the treasury of the Mother See's relics has been enriched with rare and exclusive relics.

The church in the village of Lori, Syunik, was reconsecrated on the feast of St. George


The consecration ceremony was performed by Bishop Makar Hakobyan, Primate of the Syunik Diocese, with the participation of the clergy of the diocese. His Holiness consecrated the Holy Altar, the baptismal font, and the columns of the church. Bishop Makar also celebrated the first liturgy in the reconsecrated sanctuary. St. Gevorg of Lori is a three-nave basilica, built in the 17th century. The only entrance door has a frame of polished stone decorated with arches.

The first exhibition with the Louvre Museum opened at the History Museum


16 masterpieces of medieval spiritual art have been brought from the Louvre to the History Museum of Armenia. They are displayed alongside about 20 exhibits from the History Museum, one of which is on loan from the treasures of Holy Etchmiadzin. The silver reliquary of the Apostle Bartholomew, made in Van in the tenth century. The reliquary contains the relic of the Apostle Bartholomew, one of the first enlighteners of Armenia. The general theme is: Sacred Dialogue. From the Louvre to the History Museum of Armenia.

Catholicos of All Armenians meets with the Pope of Rome


During the meeting with the Pope, the Catholicos of All Armenians touched upon the problems of the forcibly displaced Armenians of Artsakh, the preservation of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage facing the threat of destruction in Artsakh, and the situation of prisoners of war and hostages. His Holiness presented the Pope with a replica of the Artsakh khachkar. At the end of the meeting, His Holiness invited Pope Leo XIV to Armenia.

The day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is the Rememberance of the Dead


A Liturgy was served in the churches, during which a requiem mass was performed in memory of all the deceased. The clergy and the faithful prayed for the peace of the souls of the deceased. At the request of the relatives of the deceased, the clergy blessed the graves.

 

The Armenian Diocese of Georgia held a traditional Musa Ler harissa festival on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross


The festival was organized with the support of the head of the diocese and at the initiative of the “Shushanik” Union of Armenian Women of Georgia. The harissa was prepared by members of the Church-loving Women and the A.G.U.P.E.S Tbilisi” public organization. The harissa festival has been held in the Tbilisi Armenian community since 2012, expanding year by year, turning into a folk festival.

Catholicos of All Armenians leaves for Vatican, where he will meet with the Pope


The Catholicos of All Armenians left for the Vatican accompanied by Bishop Daniel Findegian, head of the postgraduate department of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, Archbishop Garegin Hambardzumian, director of the Department of Inter-Church Relations of the Mother See, Father Yesayi Grigoryan, the cross- bearer of His Holiness the Patriarch, and the director of the Catholicosate Office, Senior Priest Vahram Melikian.

The relic of the cross of Christ has been moved from the Mother See to the Holy Cross Church in Hrazdan


The feast of the Exaltation of the Cross marks the day of the vow of the Holy Cross Church in Hrazdan, because in 2013, it was reconsecrated on the very day of the feast. The Holy Cross was built in the 19th century. It was consecrated in 1922, after which it was reopened in the 90s. The already dilapidated structure could not serve the faithful, and with the efforts of benefactors it was renovated and reconsecrated. On the occasion of the vow day and the anniversary of the reconsecration, the living relic of the Cross of Christ was transferred from the Mother See to the church.