CATHOLICOSATE CLERGY AT MATENADARAN CONGRESS

Archbishop Shahan Sarkissian and Rev. Fr. Dajad Achekian from the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia took part in the International Congress of Armenian Studies at the Matenadaran in Yerevan on July 19-22.

With the blessing of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, Archbishop Shahan and Fr. Dajad attended the conference, during which also the “Graton” book fair specialized in Armenian Studies titles was held. Volumes published by the Great House of Cilicia in the last five years were also available at the fair.  

The new volume of the “Hask Armenological Yearbook”, devoted to the 850th anniversary of the death of Patriarch Nerses Shnorhali, was also presented on this occasion. Hayk Hambardzumian, senior researcher at the Matenadaran, delivered the opening speech, offering details about the yearbook and invited Matenadaran deputy director Vahe Torosyan to welcome the participants at the conference. Elya Saribekian, researcher at the Matenadaran, presented the contents of the volume. Archbishop Shahan expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Holy See and in his capacity as the editor of Hask as well as the head librarian of the Catholicosate. Copies of the yearbook were distributed among the participants.

Earlier, on Wednesday, July 17, Archbishop Shahan also participated in a meeting of representatives of Armenian religious manuscript centers, which took place on the eve of the congress, with representatives from the Matenadaran, the Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin, the Great House of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Bzommar Congregation, the Mekhitarist Congregations of Venice and Vienna. Archbishop Shahan conveyed the blessings and greetings of Catholicos Aram I His Holiness the Patriarch and presented a reported on the Catholicosate’s manuscript collection. The participants discussed the current state of manuscript collections and restoration problems, as well as the possibilities of joint studies, exhibitions and publications, applying the newest scientific and technological developments in the field.