Samvel Karapetyan Responds to Reader Questions – Part 3
[ 2009/10/19 | 18:00 ]
“I disagree with decision of Catholicos to build Saint Anna Church in Yerevan”
I was recently in Yerevan and saw the blueprint of a new church called Saint Anna to be erected next to the lovely Saint Katoghike chapel. Do you agree with the decision of the Catholicos to spend many millions of dollars on new church construction in the middle of Yerevan? Wouldn’t it be more prudent for the Hovnanians’ money to be spent on preserving what already exists?
I agree with the reader one hundred fold. But there is another problem here. First, we should ask why this project is being carried out. I don’t agree with the decision of the Catholicos for several reasons.
First, the seat of the Catholicos of all Armenians will not be moved. It can’t be relocated to Yerevan nor will it be. The seat of the Catholicos has remained unchanged in Etchmiadzin since the year 1441. This is a centuries-old residence, a tradition, a symbol.
Secondly, there is the simple fact that throughout our 1,700 years of Christianity, with our several thousands of churches and chapels, we have had not one named Saint Anna. Believe me on this one. Throughout the vast stretches of historic Armenia, where each region had 80-100 communities and each community at least one holy site, imagine, not one was ever named “Anna”.
After the dedication of the site, the Catholicos gave an interview and said that “Anna” was the name of the mother of the Virgin Mary. That’s all fine and dandy; no problem. But if the mother of the Virgin Mary was a revered saint for the Armenian Church, the Armenian nation, at least one of our thousands of religious monuments would have been so consecrated; no?
This will be the second Saint Anna. The first is a recently-built church located in the Vayk region. The name of the church’s patron was also Anna; thus the choice of the name for the church.
This is the second case where the name of the patron’s wife has been Anna. Ok; but let’s assume for a moment that the wife’s name was “Desdemona”. Should the church be called Saint Desdemona? It’s totally ridiculous; right?
During the time of our conversation, several churches in Europe have stopped operating as religious institutions. Some have been converted to concert auditoriums or exhibition halls. The actual centuries-old structures are still being used. Why is it that churches in England, France, Germany and Italy are be closed on a regular basis? Is it because there’s a lack of people? No, the people exist. There is lack of church goers. Today, in the developed countries, people only visit a church when it has been converted to concert hall.
This is a serious point to reflect on. Where are we going? What is the path to be followed? What has the church given us? Almost every village in Western Armenia just prior to the start of the 1915 Genocide had its own church or religious site with clergy in attendance. But the Genocide happened in an event. We read the memoirs. 1,500 residents of Marash are forced to march in the direction of Deir Zor guarded by just three soldiers. 1,500 Armenians from Marash driven to their deaths by just 3 guards.
Thus, no wonder we now declare that “70 years of Soviet atheism wrecked havoc on us and we must now strive anew to rebuild our national character, straighten our backs and return to our traditional faith.” This leads to the conviction that “he who doesn’t belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church isn’t an Armenian”. There are even so-called intellectuals who claim that for seventy years we weren’t Armenian. What about those Armenians living on their ancestral lands in eastern Anatolia, who aren’t really Muslims but confess they are because they can’t say differently? Aren’t they Armenian? Even Armenian Catholics, up till recently, weren’t considered by many to be real Armenians. People would say, “They’re Franks; not Armenians”. Luckily we’ve made some advances in thinking since then. We no longer call some people “Franks”.
Frankly, I am somewhat disturbed to see recent attempts by the church to increase its land holdings. For example, take the case of the land adjoining the Tegher Monastery. We were told about since by the church gatekeeper and from other sources.
Today, the Agency for the Preservation of Historic and Cultural Monuments just doesn’t have the funds to maintain that many churches, so the government gladly turns them back over to Etchmiadzin. The Church is now attempting to get its former land holdings back as well and is often succeeding.
Let’s look at the case of King Pap who stood up against the Church because it had become a large feudal land owner in its own right. Remember that the kings used the taxes from royal lands and the peasants living on those lands to maintain the kingdom and raise an army in its defense. During the reign of King Pap, there came a time when it seemed that the country was divided between church and king. The lands and people living on church lands paid no tribute or soldier to the government. The king was forced to stand up to the church. Today, which road will we choose?
October 20th, 2009 at 00:27
Shat hetakrkir hartsazruyts.
October 20th, 2009 at 02:52
We need to limit the power of the Church. They have to pay taxes and go to serve in Army, as every citizen in Armenia. And they have to work normal jobs as every citizen.
October 20th, 2009 at 10:19
samvel@ iharke jisht e undhanrapes…bayc mi kich tvyalneru urjacadz en…vori masin nax kuzei ir het anmijapes xosel .ete hnaravor e ir elektronayn hascen; shnorhakal em…
October 21st, 2009 at 10:40
Good going Mr. Karapetyan.
I hope Mr. Hovnanian in New Jersey understands that the St. Anna project in downtown Yerevan is a disaster and that it will spoil a perfectly lovely little church and surrounding courtyard that could have been really transformed into something beautiful if only people USED THEIR BRAINS!!
Let Hovnanian use the money to renovate some churches actually on the verge of collapse or donate money for a cross atop Holy Cross Church in Aghtamar.
Money better spent indeed!!!
October 25th, 2009 at 23:47
Ete mer hayeri 0.0000001% Samvel Karapetyani nman mtatser u gortser, apa sarer shur ktayink ev HZOR HAYRENIK KUNENAYINK!
Tsavok himnakanum taptpuknern en araj gnum…
SHNORHAKALUTYUN Metsargo paron KARAPETYAN, DZER AZGANVER GORTSUNEUTYAN HAMAR!!!
Misht hiatsel ev hianum em DZEZANOV!!!
KETSTSEQ!!!
October 26th, 2009 at 03:06
Agreed,
If you want to understand why three soldiers were able to walk 1500 people to death just read Narek’s lamentations. It is the most horrible book I have ever read. It packed with self-hatred, self-denigration, self-humiliation, etc. Once, we were a healthy life-loving joyful people who adored the Sun. Some lunatic, Gregory, tried to ‘enlighten’ us by grafting some Hebrew mythology onto our beautiful pagan culture! What a joke. Believe me I prefer to be enlightened by the Sun than by Gregory or the Rabbi (Jesus) he represented.
Just step into a church and see what do you feel? Sadness, darkness, gloom, self-misery… you feel like killing yourself. Why???? What for??? Why hate and be scared of life and its joys so much? Christianity drains the vital forces of expansion and conquest out of our culture and turns us into a bunch of useless sheep. It is deep strategic and cultural mistake to think that the conversion to Christianity has preserved us from disappearing.
October 26th, 2009 at 17:58
Armen:
Thank you for posting this comment. While reading your comment I had the feeling that it was ME who wrote the comment. I AGREE WITH YOU.
I think the story of 3 soldiers/askyars and 1500 people is a bit off point, because the 1500 people were in the state of shock and very emotional and exhausted,etc., so they could not think and act properly IN THOSE HORRIFYING CIRCUMSTANCES. And people always have hope-till the end.
The Armenian church as an INSTITUTION has done SOME positive things in the history to prevent the language and the culture,while we did not have state.Not to forget the prosecutions and treasons BY THE CHURCH of many good Armenian intellectuals and artists.
But the christianity, my Armenian Gods, destroyed our spirit and, why not, our land and people.
As we have now a state, we have to push the church back (at least in Armenia), so that it does not have ANY voice in politics. We also HAVE TO GET BACK to our true Armenian paganism/hetanosutiun. The church has to transform itself into a true ARMENIAN spirit strengthning institution.
May our Armenian Gods bless us again.
October 26th, 2009 at 17:09
Armen:
This too. NOTHING, what is based on sin and guilt, can grow and get stronger. I repreat-NOTHING.
October 27th, 2009 at 03:04
Last year I was surprised to see the site cleared and the church standing alone, and was shocked at the ugliness of the planned new buildings.
I would have liked Samvel to have given us some criticism of the design of the new church and the Catholicos’ palace, and to have seen some straight talk about the negative impact it will all have on the beautiful little Katoghike church and on the surrounding district of Yerevan. If the Soviet appartments had to be demolished, why not make the whole area into a much-needed park, with the Katoghike in the middle.
Is it important what this new church will be called? I think that is a trivial side-issue. This reminds me a bit of destructive Aghtamar restoration. Rather than seeing Armenians making criticism about its poor quality and about how it broke every conservation guideline, all I saw from them were comments about the cross on the roof issue.
October 27th, 2009 at 04:34
Armen:
I hope you can read Armenian. See how wonderfull this is:
Ու Ղ Ե Ր Ձ Ո՜վ, Արի Հա՛յ, ի՞նչ Չարի Աստված, երբ ի՛նքդ ես աստ- ված՝ Արայից սերված Արորդի՛ ես դու, բոլոր մարդկային Ցեղերի մեջ միակ արարող զորությո՛ւնն ես դու և Արայի Որդի Վահագն Աստծո Սիրո, Զորության ճառագո՛ւմն ես դու: Էլ ի՞նչ ես որոնում քեզանից դուրս-զորությո՞ւն՝ զորությունը քո մեջ է. հավա՞տ՝ հավատը քո մեջ է. սե՞ր՝ սերը քո մեջ է. իմաստությո՞ւն՝ իմաստությունը քո մեջ է: Հրաշալի էա՛կ ես դու, ո՜վ, Արի Հա՛յ: Բայց դեռ ինչքա՞ն, ինչքա՞ն դու քեզ չճանաչես, դեռ ինչքա՞ն դու քեզ մերժես: Դեռ ինչքա՞ն դու ապրես ուրիշի կենսագրությամբ և դեռ ինչքա՞ն դու խարխափես հոգևոր թմրության մեջ՝ գոհ քեզ պարգևած անտոհմիկ որբի խղճուկ վիճակից: Դու երբևէ չե՞ս նայել Արեգակին՝ ո՛չ մայրամուտի, այլ արշալույսի՛ Արեգակին և նրա ճառագայթների անհուն ծովի մեջ չե՞ս փորձել տեսնել քեզ, քո սկիզբը և խորհել, թե ո՞վ ես դու, որտեղից ես գալիս, ի՞նչ ծագում ունես: Արիական ծագում ունես դու, ո՜վ, Արի Հա՛յ, որ Արայից է գալիս. անարատ արյուն ունես դու, որ Արայից է հոսում քո երակներում. ազնիվ դիմագիծ ունես դու, որ Արայից ես ժառանգել. աստվածային զորություն ունես դու, որ արտացոլումն է Արայի էության: Եվ դու դեռ կասկածո՞ւմ ես քեզ: Եվ կարծում ես, թե քո ծագումը կորե՞լ է անդարձ, որ օտարներից քո գոյության հաստատումն ես մուրում: Բայց Արայի կամքով՝ ոչ մի բնական չի կորչում երբեք: Քո ծագումն էլ՝ բնական, չի կորել անհետ: Այն պահպանվել է հարյուրամյակներ և պահպանվել է դարձյալ հենց քո՛ մեջ: Եվ Հայր Արայի կամքով և Ամենազոր Վահագնի հովանավորությամբ, քո ծագումը պեղվում է հենց քո՛ միջից և վերադարձվում է քեզ, որ միանաս, ձուլվես նրան ու ամբողջացնես էությունը քո: Մտի՛ր նրա մեջ, ո՜վ, Արի Հա՛յ, գնա՛ քո հավերժության խորքը, մինչև քո առաջին նախնիները, միացի՛ր նրանց, ապրի՛ր նրանց հետ, բոցավառվի՛ր նրանց աստվածային ջերմությամբ, օծվի՛ր նրանց կենաց արևով և ապա փառաբանի՛ր Հայր Արային ու Մայր Անահիտին այն աստվածային Շնորհի համար, որ տրված է քեզ՝ լինել Արի Հա՛յ, լինել աստվածամա՛րդ, լինել Արորդի՛: Սլակ Կակոսյան
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