The Mother See Strongly Condemns the Statement of the Caucasus Muslims Board


The Caucasus Muslims Board is attempting to justify the destruction of the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani authorities, in particular, the complete destruction of the Holy Mother of God Church in Stepanakert. The Mother See notes that the desecration, appropriation or destruction of holy sites cannot be justified by any political, administrative or pseudo-legal formulation.

 

A work on Prince John and the Grner School of Miniature Painting has been published


The English volume entitled “The Half-Blood Prince and His Artistic Legacy” is the third monograph on Cilician miniature painting by Emma Chougaszyan, PhD in Art and Medieval History at the University of Montpellier. Archbishop John, brother of King Hetum I, founded the Grner School of Miniature Painting and is considered the founder of a new direction in miniature painting in Cilicia in the second half of the 13th century. This cleric, of royal origin, was the greatest patron of the arts and sciences in Cilicia at that time.

The Mother See has published the work of German historian Michael Hezemann on the Armenian Genocide


The book, written based on unpublished documents from the Vatican Secret Archives, addresses the Armenian Genocide. Michael Hezemann, studying numerous valuable documents, testimonies, letters and reports kept in the Vatican archives, irrefutably reaffirms the reality of the Armenian Genocide and its planned implementation.
 

Lebanon is home to the world’s only museum of Armenian Genocide orphans


The museum houses items, documents, photographs and orphan lists dedicated to the lives of orphans. In the back of the courtyard is a memorial sculpture of Maria Jacobsen and a tombstone with the inscription “Mother of Armenian Orphans.” On the other side are a series of sculptures depicting Armenian orphans in rags. The area, located about 30 kilometers from Beirut, was founded in 1920 by the Near East Relief Committee as a shelter for Armenian orphans.
 

Azerbaijan Destroys Stepanakert's St. John the Baptist Cathedral


The St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Stepanakert has most likely been destroyed by Azerbaijan. The information was disseminated by Hovik Avanesov, who deals with the cultural heritage of Artsakh. According to him, what happened is a clearly targeted policy to eliminate all visible traces of the Armenian presence. This is evidenced by the events that have taken place in Stepanakert in recent weeks, from vandalism to complete demolition. In the conditions of silence and inaction of international and Armenian state structures, these actions are becoming continuous.
 

Holy Etchmiadzin: Father Husik Smbatyan celebrated the liturgy on Ashkharamatraն Sunday


The second Sunday of the Holy Resurrection is called Ashkharamatraն or Green Sunday. It symbolizes the great mystery of the establishment of the Christian church, when the light of Christ's resurrection spreads throughout the world, and Christ's disciples become the bearers of that light, spreading the divine word. The people have called Ashkharamatraն Sunday Green Sunday, because during this period of spring awakening, nature blooms and turns green, as does humanity, with the hope and light brought by Christ.

 

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Arrives at the Mother See


His Holiness, Father Ignatius Ephrem II, who arrived at the invitation of the Catholicos of All Armenians, prayed for the prosperity of the Armenian Church, the well-being of the Armenian people, and the establishment of peace in the region. Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, greeted His Holiness on behalf of the confraternity of the Mother See. After the consecration ceremony, a private meeting between the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Ecumenical Patriarch of the East took place in the Cathedral.
 

The Carpet Collection of the Mother See


For centuries, carpets have been kept in the treasury of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin as cultural treasures. These carpets are not simply decorative objects, but eloquent witnesses of a culture. The collection of the Mother See was formed not as a result of planned collection, but as a result of time, donations and historical upheavals. Under the care of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, the collection is currently being supplemented with the aim of becoming a complete material for a carpet museum in the future.

Armenians of Moscow celebrated the feast of the Holy Resurrection with great solemnity


Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan served the festive Liturgy at the Holy Transfiguration Mother Church of the Diocese of Russia and New Nakhijevan. The Armenians of Moscow celebrated the feast with great solemnity. Hundreds of people gathered at the cathedral to participate in church services and folk festivities.

 

Diocese of Australia and New Zealand Celebrates Easter at St. Harutyun Church in Sydney


The festive Liturgy of the Holy Resurrection was celebrated by Bishop Vardan Navasardyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, at St. Harutyun Church in Sydney. At the end of the Liturgy, a blessing was given at the prelate's house, followed by a reception, during which representatives of Armenian spiritual, national, and party organizations congratulated the spiritual fathers on the occasion of Easter, and jointly expressed their support for the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
 

3 Lawyers Carried the Canopy of His Holiness the Patriarch on the Feast of the Holy Resurrection


On the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Catholicos of All Armenians traditionally serves the festive Liturgy in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. This year, the canopy of His Holiness the Patriarch was carried by lawyers Ara Zohrabyan, Yerem Sargsyan, Ara Ghazaryan, and Dr. Arthur Grabsky. This is not accidental, because since last year the church has been forced to defend its right to independence, autonomy, and spiritual mission in court.

 

Georgian Armenians Celebrate the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ


The Divine Liturgy of the Resurrection was celebrated at the Holy Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi by the Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, Bishop Kirakos Davtyan. Representatives of the Georgian authorities were present. At the end of the ceremony, the Bishop blessed the painted eggs and announced the good news of the Savior's glorious Resurrection.