A blessing ceremony was held at the Holy Martyrs Church in Nubarashen on the occasion of the Day of Knowledge and Education


Father Bardughimeos Hakobyan performed the blessing ceremony at the Holy Martyrs Church in Nubarashen. He reminded the students and teachers that education is not just learning literature, education is a spiritual formation. The clergyman noted that being educated means doing daily work that renews the mind and soul.

 

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.

The court rejected the defense attorneys' motion to change Lydia Mantashyan's preventive measure


At the second hearing of the case of Archbishop Bagrast Galstanyan and 17 supporters of the “Holy Movement,” the court examined the issue of preventive measures. The defense lawyers requested to first examine the issue of preventive measures for Lydia Mantashyan. The defense requested to change the detention to another preventive measure on bail, but the court ruled to extend Lydia Mantashyan’s detention for 3 months. At the end of the hearing, Lydia Mantashyan’s defense lawyer Tatevik Soghoyan described what happened in court as “deplorable.”

 

More than 200 children participated in a backyard spiritual camp


At the initiative of Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, Primate of the Masyatsotn Diocese, and under the sponsorship of the "Kamrjak" social-charitable NGO, a yard-spiritual journey was held at the St. Hovhannes the Evangelist Church in Artashat, in which more than 200 children aged 7-12 participated. Conversations on spiritual topics formed an important part of the campers' busy daily life.

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 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.

 

Archaeologists have begun excavations of the single-nave basilica church of St. Mariane in Vagharshapat


During the excavations, the foundations of the northern wall of the church were uncovered. According to experts, the initial assumption is that the cause of the destruction was wars and invasions. Six clay jars were found in the northeastern area of the monument. Two of the jars were damaged over time.

The premiere of Aram Shahbazyan's documentary film "The Capture of an Unnamed Height" took place


The film tells the story of the heroic deeds of the 25th Battalion of the Armenian National Army, which defended one of the heights of the Marjanlu area of Jrakan during the 44-day war in Artsakh. The strategically important Unnamed Height was defended by soldiers under the command of Major Edgar Matevosyan, also known as Matos. Some of the soldiers remained on the Height forever, while others were wounded and survived. The authors are planning to present the film at international festivals.

 

The relic of the Lord's Cross has been moved to the Holy Mother of God Church in Aragats


On the feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, a Liturgy was served at the Holy Mother of God Church in the village of Aragats, Aragatsotn Diocese. The officiating clergyman reflected on the gospel episode of the Transfiguration and spoke about the power of prayer for communicating with God.

 

Participants of the AGBU Focus 2025 program planted trees in the yard of the Armenian Youth Center in Malatia


The tree planting was initiated by the AGBU. The trees were provided free of charge by the Armenian Tree Project charitable foundation. Experts had previously studied the area and recommended low-maintenance plants suitable for the local climate.