The Catholicos of All Armenians received the pilgrims from Constantinople at the Mother See


The Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II received the members of the district council of the Holy Church of Beyoglu region, who came to Armenia from Constantinople on a pilgrimage, at the Mother See. The group of Armenian pilgrims from Constantinople spent five days in Armenia, visited various holy places, got acquainted with the spiritual and historical cultural heritage of Armenia. The Beyoğlu district of  Constantinople is one of the most influential and Armenian-rich districts in terms of ethnicity, spirituality and culture.

The exhibition titled "The Mother Temple of Light" was opened in the Ruben Sevak Museum


The first solo exhibition of the artist, architect Lusine Danielyan, dedicated to the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, was opened in the Ruben Sevak Museum. The artist created these works in a very short time, inspired by the picture book "Bright and beautiful Holy Etchmiadzin" published months ago. Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral will be re-consecrated in September of this year. An exhibition entitled "The Mother Temple of Light" was opened with that sacrament.

7 deacons of the Mother See were ordained to priesthood with the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians


With the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians, an offering ceremony was held in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The Celebrant Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the USA, addressed questions to the priests. The deacons testified that they are steadfast in the Orthodox faith, and then promised to be disciples and followers of the holy fathers and blessed patriarchs of the church. The ordained rejected and reviled all the heretics and schismatics by name. Five of the seven donors, married, two chose the celibate priesthood.

25 servants of Aragatsotn Diocese received a degree of Acolytes in Hovhanavank


In Hovhanavank, the Primate of Aragatsotn Diocese, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan, made an order to inspect the Acolytes. 25 ministers serving in the churches of Teger, Oshakan, Aparan, Mughnu, Byurakan, Ashtarak, Hovhannavank, Talin and Kosh received the rank of Acolytes. The Acolytes degree is considered the minor degree of the church. The clerk opens the door of the church, establishes order in the prayer hall, holds a candlestick, reads the Bible.

Gevorgyan Theological Seminary The Theological University will give applicants another chance in August


The examinations of Armenian language and Armenian literature have been completed at Gevorgyan Seminary. On June 15, the applicants took an exam on Armenian history, and also met with the seminary's inspectorate. At the final stage of the exams, during the interview, attention is paid to the applicant's spiritual and ecclesiastical knowledge, musical abilities, communication skills and knowledge of languages. The second round of Gevorgyan Theological Seminary entrance exams is in August.

The disabled person received prosthetics in India under the auspices of the Mother See


After losing his leg on a mine in Mataghis in 2016, Karen Hambardzumyan went to India under the sponsorship of the Armenian Church and got a prosthesis. The program of the Mother See for the treatment and prosthetics of military disabled abroad has been operating since 2016. About 30 servicemen have already received high-quality treatment and prostheses in India, Austria and Canada.

In Ararat, the 2nd anniversary of the Church of the Holy Savior was celebrated with a festive liturgy


The residents of Ararat started the day in the Holy Savior Church with a festive service. The single-dome, built of black and orange tuff, Saint Holy Savior is the only place of worship in the city, the construction of which took more than 10 years. Adjacent to the church, a candle-lighting hall and a pastor's house were built, which will soon be used for the activities of the youth union and the Sunday school. The entire area of ​​the church is also well-kept and green.

Along with the restoration of the Cathedral, the adjacent green area is being improved


In the next 1-2 years, the green area of ​​the Temple will get its complete appearance. At the suggestion of the Patriarch of All Armenians, the landscaping of the Temple was designed with the motifs of Armenian carpet art ornaments. A large team of landscape architects, botanists, and designers worked to create a green combination suitable for the surrounding structures and climate. Among the flowers, white and red roses, lavender and hydrangea were chosen, which are separated from each other by bushes. The plants were imported from different European countries in April last year.

Documentary-photographer Hrayr Baze Khacheryan's picture book "Khachkar" was presented


The book contains photographs of khachkars of Armenia, Artsakh, Western Armenia, Nakhichevan, Georgia, Iran, Jerusalem, Saint Petersburg and other places. About 500 khachkars are presented in the newly published book. The author referred to the differences in styles and stone types of historical cross stones. He analyzed and studied them from a spiritual and religious point of view. The artist drew parallels between the images of khachkars and the miniature images in ancient Armenian manuscripts.

Vysotsky's works will be studied by the students of "Real School"


Soon, the "Real School" school will teach students with its own textbook by Grabar, which includes fables, modern stories with Grabar translation, excerpts from the works of historians and even Grabar translations of songs by Vysotsky and other authors. The real school operates in Yerevan, Vanadzor, Ijevan, Gyumri, accepting 100 applicants annually, a branch will be opened in Goris in the near future. In cooperation with the Armenian Apostolic Church and YSU Faculty of Philology, "Real School" conducts Grabar Olympiads among pupils and students.

Fr. Derenik Sahakyan's book "Greetings to those reading and listening to my letter" was published


The presentation of the book "Greetings to those reading and listening to my letter" by Father Derenik Sahakyan, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the premiere of the documentary film of the same name based on the motifs of the book took place. The book is about the deceased brothers of the author's grandfather who participated in the Second World War.  Apart from a few dozen letters, the family had no other information about them.  It was only in 2020 that the author discovered that the grandfather's elder brother died in 1945 in Germany and is buried in the brotherly cemetery in Kaliningrad.

The two wells inside the Cathedral are being repaired and cleaned


There are 2 wells inside the Mother Cathedral, one inside the northern depository, the other in front of the altar of Saint Stepanos Proto-deacon, from where believers took water, convinced that it was endowed with the miraculous power of the temple. Since 2012, restoration architect Amiran Badishyan has measured and recorded the volume of water in the well in front of Stepanos Nakhavka's shrine in dry and rainy seasons. There is no water in the second well, never before. At the end of the restoration of the temple, the well will be cleaned and there will be water in both.