The cross bearing the relics of the Apostle Thomas has been moved from the Mother See to the Holy Mother of God Church in Hrazdan


The memory of the apostles Thomas, James, and Simon was celebrated at the Holy Mother of God Church in the Vanatur district of Hrazdan. The faithful participated in the Cross procession, which started from both sides of the city. With the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the cross bearing the relics of the apostle Thomas was brought to Hrazdan from the vault of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The court extended the detention of the participants of the sacred movement for another three months


The court granted the motions of the public prosecutors and extended the detention terms of Tigran Galstyan, Artur Sargsyan, Tigran Topalyan, Movses Sharbatyan, Igor Sargsyan, David Galstain, Mihran Makhsudyan, Hayk Shahnazaryan, Armen Aleksanyan and Karo Okumushyan for another three months. The defense lawyers qualified the motions of the public prosecutors as unfounded. The next court hearing in the case of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and the participants of the Sacred Movement will be held on August 25.

The court extended the detention of Archbishop Bagrat and the deputies participating in the movement for 3 months


The defense lawyers of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan and the 17 supporters of the Holy Movement watched the court hearing from the court yard, expressing their protest against the judiciary and the presiding judge Karen Farkhoyan. The defense team reached this decision after yesterday's court hearing, when the issue of the preventive measure for Lydia Mantashyan was being examined. Yesterday, the court extended Mantashyan's detention for 3 months. Today, it has already extended the detention of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, Arsen Ghazaryan, "Armenia" faction MP Artur Sargsyan and Arman Israelyan for another three months. The court has imposed house arrest on Ara Rostomyan.

A blessing ceremony was held at the Izmirlian Medical Center, operating under the auspices of the Mother See


Father Hovhannes Torgomyan performed a grape blessing ceremony for the staff, patients, and caregivers. He visits patients every day, performs a prayer service in the intensive care unit, and blesses patients before surgeries. After the ceremony, the grapes were distributed to those present so that the blessed fruit would enter each person’s home, bringing success and abundance to the families.

A liturgy was served at the Church of the Holy Mother of God on the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary


The sacred ceremony was accompanied by Bible readings, admonitions, sermons, and prayers. After receiving communion, the faithful participated in the Blessing of the Grapes. This ceremony blesses the harvest and goodness of the entire year.

On August 17, the Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the Blessing of the Grapes


The feast is dedicated to the memory of the end of the earthly life of the Holy Virgin Mary and her ascension to heaven. The liturgy of the feast is followed by the blessing of grapes, and believers share the blessed harvest with each other, reliving the joy of the feast.

 

The relic of the cross of Jesus Christ was moved to the St. Nshan Church in Berkarat and a liturgy was celebrated


The village of Berkarat in the Aragatsotn diocese celebrated the 14th anniversary of the consecration of the St. Nshan Church. The church was demolished during the Soviet years. St. Nshan was built in the native village by the Amirkhanyan family. The relic of the Lord's Cross remained in the church until noon.

The "Tsitsernak" camp of the Gugark Diocese hosted hundreds of schoolchildren during the summer


The camp's reputation is growing year by year, as a result of which more and more teenagers want to relax at the Tsitsernak camp. According to the organizers, "Tsitsernak" is a classic camp, seasoned with national and spiritual elements. This year, even Armenian schoolchildren from abroad have relaxed at the camp.

 

The city of Echmiadzin will have a well-maintained park


One of the pro-government media outlets published a video about the city park of Etchmiadzin, which belongs to the Mother See, claiming that the residents of Etchmiadzin are deprived of the opportunity to enjoy their leisure time in green areas. In reality, large-scale landscaping works have been carried out in the Mother See. Bishop Mushegh Babayan, Director of the Administrative and Economic Department of the Mother See, clarified the deadlines for the improvement works of the park and the reasons for the delay.

St. Sargis Church in Vanadzor has been reconsecrated


The Primate of the Gugark Diocese, Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, has reconsecrated the St. Sargis Church in Vanadzor. It was renovated and furnished with the generosity of the church's cross-bearer, Vardan Sardaryan.

 

The people of Vardenis celebrated the 13th anniversary of the village's covenant and the re-consecration of the church


St. Hakob Church is located in the village of Vardenis in the Aparan region. The people of Vardenis celebrated the 13th anniversary of the village's covenant and the re-consecration of the church. In the 1930s, the village was resettled by Armenian immigrants, who built the St. Hakob Church on the site of the dilapidated church.

 

Participants of AGBU's "Discover Armenia" program visited the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin


The participants of the second phase of the AGBU “Discover Armenia” program visited the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The 15-18 year old Diaspora Armenian youth traveled to different regions of Armenia, met with their peers from both local and international backgrounds. They discovered ancient monuments, cultural relics, got to know the nation’s rich spiritual heritage, and improved their Armenian language.