Thirty-five years have passed since a devastating earthquake hit northern Armenia, with epicenter in the city of Spitak, leveling it, as well as causing massive destruction in Leninakan (now Gyumri), killing an estimated 25,000 people, many of them children in schools. It was a tragedy on an unbearable scale for a nation that has had more than its fair share in the last two centuries. For all the challenges that Armenia is still faced with, especially since 2020, Gyumri is today a vibrant city and hub for the thriving Armenian IT and technology industry. We remember our brethren who lost their lives on that fatidical morning of December 7, 1988.
On this solemn occasion, the churches of the Eastern Prelacy will hold a requiem service on Sunday, December 10, in memory of the victims of the catastrophe.