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Sona Avagyan

Samvel Karapetyan Responds to Reader Questions – Part 3

“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. 19_10-s_karapetyanThis 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?

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