The chairmen of the youth unions of the Aragatsotn diocese held their first meeting of the year


Inter-community visits, joint pilgrimages, and a number of social and educational programs are planned in the near future. Under the high pontifical direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, and with the blessing of the Primate of the Aragatsotn diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, on January 31, the right-shaped relic of Sargis the Great will be transferred to the St. Sargis Church in Ushi.

 

Manvel Hakobyan after the 44-day war


Manvel Hakobyan suffered a spinal cord injury in the first days of the 44-day war. At first, he did not realize the complexity of the injury: his life had been saved, his parents and relatives were alive and well. However, long and difficult months of recovery and struggle lay ahead. Manvel is sure that the wheelchair is temporary in his life. “Regardless of what different doctors say, if one in a thousand people walked in my condition, then I will be the second. If no one has walked before, I will be the first,” says Manvel.

Sundukyan National Academic Theater


The first state theater of Armenia, during its more than ninety-year history, has had different phases. Vardan Achemyan, Armen Gulakyan, Vahram Papazyan, Metaxia Simonyan, Khoren Abrahamyan, Mher Mkrtchyan… many famous directors and actors have created here. Today, the theater has entered a new era.

I have come to the Diocese of Masyatsotn with an agenda of peace and reconciliation. Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan


The Vicar of the Masyatsotn Diocese, Archimandrite Ruben Zargaryan, celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Mother of God Church in Dalar. Despite threats from various officials and individuals against the priests, the clergy of the diocese expressed unconditional loyalty to the order of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church and the mission of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Archimandrite Ruben stated in a conversation with journalists that he came to the Masyatsotn Diocese with an agenda of peace and reconciliation.
 

Azat Adamyan


After the April War, Azat Adamyan founded the “Bardak” pub in Stepanakert, which soon became a favorite gathering place for young people and tourists from Artsakh. During the 44-day war, he volunteered for the 7th defense unit called “Yeghnikner”, where he was wounded in October. Later, in 2023, when Azerbaijan attacked Artsakh, Azat participated in the defense of Khramort. Now, Azat has reopened the “Bardak” pub in Stepanakert in Yerevan. He also aims to create his own new Artsakh in an abandoned village in Armenia.

Vahagn Samvelyan


Vahagn became known and loved by the public from the TV series “The Last Teacher”, where he played the role of Armen. He was seriously injured as a result of Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh and spent days in an artificial coma. 21-year-old Vahagn was a conscript, he had been drafted into the army for two months when the war began. Now he is an actor in a drama theater, he still bears the consequences of the war, he can only see with one eye, but he always looks forward, accepting this blow of life.

Hanik-nanik


"Hanik Nanik" national dance song, accompanied by Seda Tevanyan. At the "Mkhitar Sebastatsi" educational complex, singer and songwriter Seda Tevanyan's "Tevani" song ensemble has gathered children of all ages around her. They perform folk, national, and Komitas songs.

Fold it


"Tsal Era" national song, accompanied by Seda Tevanyan. At the "Mkhitar Sebastatsi" educational complex, singer and songwriter Seda Tevanyan's "Tevani" song ensemble has gathered children of all ages. They perform folk, national, and Komitas' songs.

Ring the bell


"Zar Zing" Komitas. At the "Mkhitar Sebastatsi" educational complex, singer and songwriter Seda Tevanyan's "Tevani" song ensemble has gathered children of all ages. They perform folk, national, and Komitas' songs.

Hayaser Hayrapetyan


Hayaser Hayrapetyan is from the village of Chartar, Artsakh. He was born in 1992, days after his father's death. After graduating from school, he entered the Fine Arts Department of Artsakh State University, and taught for many years in Chartar and several nearby art schools. He participated in the 44-day war as a volunteer. After the war, he continued to paint, while at the same time, he was transferred to the intelligence service in the "Martuni 3" military unit. On September 19, 2023, he was wounded in the head. After being in a coma for five days, he was taken to Yerevan by resuscitation vehicle. After being wounded, he had trouble speaking, even forgetting to write and read. Hayaser had intended to open a large exhibition in Artsakh, but his paintings and sculptures remained at home. Only a small statuette dedicated to his mother and two paintings with Artsakh landscapes were brought to Armenia.

Art and Audience: Bridging the Distance


In order to fill the gaps in the field of cultural journalism and reduce the gap between the artist and society, the ARE Cultural Foundation, in partnership with the Institute of Contemporary Art, with a grant from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Armenia, has initiated a free journalism course for those covering culture and art. Marine Karoyan, Founding Director of the ARE Cultural Foundation, and Narine Safaryan, Head of the Educational Department of the Media Initiatives Center, spoke about the “Art and Audience: Bridging the Gap” project at “Artfocus”. The program was hosted by art critic Anahit Margaryan.

Soviet censorship and medieval literature


During the Soviet period, especially in the 1930s and 1940s, Armenian medieval literature was subjected to strict censorship. Not only were the works of our medieval authors not published or were published in abbreviated form, but literary criticism also presented and interpreted them with distortions corresponding to the ruling ideology. In the program “Parallel Readings,” literary critics Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan discuss the peculiarities of the presentation of medieval literature during the Soviet years.