Tag: Armenian Church

A Reflection on the Symbolism and Meaning of the Two New Icons of St. Vartan and St. Shushanik

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Recently, two new icons have been added to the sanctuary of St. Vartan Cathedral, depicting the cathedral’s namesake and his martyred daughter, consecrated by Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan on the occasion of the Feast of Sts. Vartanantz on February 27th.

Armenian artist M. Hovanessian painted his subjects, Saints Vartan and Shushanik, with great skill, and in heroic scale: each canvass measures over eight feet in height.

But they were also painted in accordance with age-old Christian traditions governing how to portray saintly subjects, to make them suitable for veneration.

Below, Zohrab Center Director Dr. Jesse Arlen offers reflections on the two icons.

Unlike realist paintings or photographs, holy icons do not attempt to depict events as they happened in a single moment of historical time. Rather, icons invite those who behold them to contemplate the meaning of events from a heavenly, divine perspective.

One encounters little historical detail in the two new icons of St. Vartan and St. Shushanik that adorn the entrance of St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City. Absent from the icon of St. Vartan are scenes of battle and bloodshed, like we find in various medieval manuscript illuminations, or modern paintings depicting St. Vartan and the Battle of Avarayr.

Absent from the icon of St. Shushanik are the gruesome tortures inflicted on the holy woman’s saintly body, which fill the pages of the Armenian and Georgian martyrologies of the saint.

What are we beholding, then, when we gaze at the icons of these two saints? Icons are famously described as “windows into heaven” or “sacred windows.” But what does that mean?

Heaven signifies the meaning of things: it is the invisible realm of reality, and we gain access to that realm through symbols. The icon is a kind of tutor, telling us of the reality behind and beyond what our physical eye can see. Icons reveal the truth—but not historical truth. It is truth of another dimension: invisible, spiritual reality, not perceivable to our physical eyes. Hence, the need for the icon, which gives us a view into heavenly reality.

In earthly, historical time, Vartan Mamikonian died in battle with other Armenian nobles. In the icon, he stands victorious, holding not a spear but a processional cross, standing at the front of what one may imagine to be a long line of heroic saints behind him.

The icon of St. Vartan by artist M. Hovanessian

Sheathed is his sword; removed his helmet. For we see Vartan not as he stood on earth, but as he stands in Heaven—where, the prophet says, “Swords are beaten into plowshares, spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not take up sword against nation, and no more shall they learn to wage war” (Isaiah 2:4).

The saint stands atop a high place, with more of the heavens visible behind him than the earth below his feet. His cloak and the plume of his helmet are red: the color associated, in memory and symbol, with the blood he shed as a witness to His Lord, in defense of the Christian faith.

Denying himself, Vartan took up the cross he holds high with his right hand, and followed after Christ. In so doing, for the sake of Christ, he lost his life and lost the world—but gained his soul and was rewarded with eternal life (Matthew 16:24–25).

In a similar place stands St. Shushanik, daughter of St. Vartan and descendant of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Around her are white lilies, the flower after which she is named: “I am a lily (shushan) of the valleys” (Song of Songs 2:1). Like the Illuminator before her, in historical time she endured years of physical torture, beatings, and imprisonment—not at the hands of enemies but by the hand and command of her own husband, Vazgen, the apostate margrave of Georgia.

The icon of St. Shushanik by artist M. Hovanessian

Yet in the icon, we behold not a disfigured, broken body, but the immaculate body of a saintly woman. We see Shushanik as she is in heaven, where God has healed her broken heart and bound up all her wounds (Psalm 146/147:3). Lying at her feet are the unbound iron shackles with which she was once fettered in an earthly prison. But God saved her from darkness and the shadow of death, and broke away her chains (Psalm 106/107:14).

In her hand, she holds a sacred book. As we read in the historian Ukhtanes, during her tortures, “she had with her a small book, with which she performed her devotions and psalmody.” Now she stands in heaven, holding in one hand the cross and in her other the sacred Gospel, for which she endured torture, after the pattern of her ancestor St. Gregory and her Lord Jesus Christ.

She stands regally in noble raiment, crowned with the imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25). Behind her silent visage, it is as if we can hear her speaking the words of the prophet silently to herself, that she “has been clothed in a garment of salvation and a cloak of joy. Like a bridegroom he put a crown on my head and like a bride he adorned me with jewels” (Isaiah 61:10).

In-Person Event with architect Ronald Altoon on March 30th after Badarak

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The Zohrab Center cordially invites you to an in-person event jointly hosted by St. Vartan Cathedral after Badarak on Sunday, March 30th. Architect Ronald Altoon will be presenting his work on churches and monasteries of Armenia to be featured in a forthcoming book.

A former National President of The American Institute of Architects, Ronald Altoon (https://altoon.com/) is an internationally recognized architect with numerous awards for design excellence.  He has planned or implemented projects totaling over 225 million square feet constructed in the United States and in 46 foreign countries.  Besides serving on multiple university, civic, cultural, and philanthropic boards, he has taught at USC and UCLA and has lectured at many other prominent universities.  He is author of seven books on design as well as one currently in final editing, Monasteries and Churches of Ancient Armenia.

A third generation American Armenian, Altoon organized and led an American Institute of Architects Task Force to Armenia twice in 1989 following the horrific Spitak Earthquake to create a master plan to rebuild the epicenter city.  For his efforts there he was awarded the Memorial Medal from the Politburo of the Republic of Amenia, S.S.R.  He designed the technologically state-of-the-art academic Avedisian building for the American University of Armenia, and advised the AMAA on the design of the K-12 Avedisian High School & Community Center in Yerevan, acting as sustainable design champion achieving LEED Silver and LEED Earth certifications.

Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture on March 27th in Washington DC

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The Zohrab Center is pleased to share that the third annual Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture, established through the generosity of Mr. Dean Shahinian, will take place on March 27th in Washington, D.C. Please find the details below:

Lecture Title: “When Things Fall Apart: Disentangling Christian-Muslim Relations in Medieval Armenia”
Speaker: Prof. Sergio La Porta
Place: Heritage Hall in O’Connell Hall at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Date and Time: March 27 at 5 pm
Lecture open and free to the public. Reception to follow
For more information and to register, click here https://trs.catholic.edu/lectures-and-events/grace-and-paul/index.html

Dr. Sergio La Porta is currently the Acting Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development at California State University, Fresno. Prior to assuming this role, he was the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and the Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies. His most recent book publication, co-authored with Dr. Alison Vacca, is entitled, An Armenian Futūḥ Narrative: Łewond’s Eighth-Century History of the Caliphate (Chicago: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, 2024). In addition, Dr. La Porta has published on the Armenian commentaries on the works attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite, and numerous articles on medieval Armenian intellectual history and cultural interactions with the Islamicate, Byzantine, and Latinate worlds.

The Byzantine annexation of Armenia in the eleventh century followed by the Seljuk invasions brought dramatic political and demographic changes to the region. Nonetheless, a modus vivendi between Christians and Muslims in Armenia was established by the end of that century. This condition of “rough tolerance,” to borrow a phrase used by MacEvitt in the context of the Crusades, lasted until the second half of the twelfth century. This talk will argue that contemporary Armenian stories of martyrdom both shed light on the previous state of affairs and document the disintegration of intercommunal relations during this period.

Past Lectures in the Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series:

(1) The inaugural lecture was on March 23, 2023 at 5 pm (Heritage Hall, The Catholic University of America). The speaker was Prof. Christina Maranci (Harvard University) who spoke on the topic “Armenia and the World in Art and Text.”  For a video of the lecture, see  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBccQFf1Tmg&t=15s 

(2) On March 21, 2024 we hosted the Second Annual “The Grace and Paul Shahinian Armenian Christian Art and Culture Lecture Series.” The speaker was Prof. Zara Pogossian (University of Florence) who spoke on the topic “Women and Power in Medieval Armenia: Beyond Local Dynasties and Eurasian Empires.”  For a video of the lecture, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Uyg8VUfzc&t=212s 

Dr. Jesse Arlen to speak at Hamazkayin Western Region Literary Unit on January 16th over Zoom

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On Thursday, January 16th at 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET, Dr. Jesse Arlen will give a presentation hosted by the Hamazkayin Western Region Literary Unit on St. Nersess Shnorhali and the recently published book by co-authors Jesse Arlen and Matthew Sarkisian Odes of St. Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024).

Please register for this online event, whose proceedings will take place primarily in Armenian, at this link.

Zoom meeting ID: 864 7185 3213
Passcode: 406800

The book is available for purchase from the Prelacy Bookstore, NAASR bookstore, Abril Books, AGBU Bookstore or on Amazon.

Գրաբար Reading Course: Medieval Armenian Poetry

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The Zohrab Information Center is hosting a Գրաբար reading course, “Medieval Armenian Poetry,” on Mondays 2:00–4:00pm ET via Zoom from January 13th to March 31st. The course will be taught by Dr. Jesse Arlen with poetic texts chosen from the rich treasury of medieval Armenian literature.

It is recommended that participants already be familiar with the basics of Classical Armenian grammar or have reading and writing knowledge of Modern Armenian in order to benefit from the course.

To register for the course, click here. For questions about the course, send an email to: zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org.

NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT: Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Prayer Scroll) by Matthew J. Sarkisian

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An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024), by Matthew J. Sarkisian, edited and with a foreword by Jesse S. Arlen is now available in print in both hardcover and paperback formats.

The volume is the first in the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center’s Sources from the Armenian Christian Tradition series and was previously released online in digital format in 2022. The revised print edition features some updates and corrections and full-color photographs.

Cover of Matthew J. Sarkisian. An Early-Eighteenth-Century Hmayil (Armenian Prayer Scroll): Introduction, Facsimile, Transcription and Annotated Translation. Edited and with a Foreword by Jesse S. Arlen. Sources from the Armenian Christian Tradition, volume 1. New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024 (revised print edition)

A hmayil is a handwritten or printed scroll containing prayers, supplications, Psalms, Gospel passages, hymns, and incantations. These scrolls, often richly illustrated, were a popular medium used for protection against maladies and other evils during the early modern period and were often carried or worn like a talisman. In this volume, Matthew J. Sarkisian and editor Jesse S. Arlen provide the Armenian text and an English translation of one such scroll printed in Constantinople in 1727. Together with facsimile images of the hmayil, this volume offers the reader an experience similar to unrolling and reading the original scroll. The translation is accompanied by an introduction, extensive annotation, and appendices, which bring to light the Scriptural and theological background as well as the folk and traditional characteristics of the hmayil’s texts and illustrations, making this fascinating artifact accessible to the general reader in the twenty-first century.

The publication of this volume was supported by a generous grant from Souren A. Israelyan. The book is available to purchase on Amazon.

Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:00pm — “Frik’s Relatable Freakshow: Echoes of Faith and Endurance for Confronting Today’s Geopolitical Turmoil” by Tamar Purut

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The Zohrab Center warmly invites you to our next in-person event, a public lecture by Tamar Purut, entitled, “Frik’s Relatable Freakshow: Echoes of Faith and Endurance for Confronting Today’s Geopolitical Turmoil.” This interactive lecture will take place in Yerevan Room of the Diocesan Center on Thursday, December 12th at 7:00pm. All are welcome to attend.

Tamar Purut is a first-generation Armenian-American born and raised in New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Seton Hall University, a Master’s Degree in International Security from University College London, and, most recently, a postgraduate degree in Classical Armenian Studies from the University of Oxford. She is seasoned in operating anti-money laundering and compliance programs at first-tier global financial institutions and is presently an Assistant Vice President at BHI Bank. Tamar wishes to continue serving her compatriots while inspiring further discourse on what it means to be an Armenian in the diaspora while remembering and honoring her roots.

Description of Lecture: This talk will explore the life and legacy of Frik, one of Armenia’s most influential medieval poets. Through his eloquent verse, Frik captured the struggles of his time, blending profound theological reflection with poignant political commentary. His work delves into the complex relationship between faith, identity, and the ever-shifting contours of power. The presentation will examine how Frik’s writings, though rooted in the medieval Armenian experience, continue to resonate with contemporary geopolitical conflicts and questions of faith. Tamar will discuss how his reflections on the human condition and the search for divine justice offer timeless insights into the challenges we face today. This will be an opportunity to (re)discover how Frik’s poetic vision still echoes in modern debates about religion, conflict, and the pursuit of meaning in an increasingly fragmented world.

 

Zohrab Center director to give talks in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles

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Zohrab Center director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, will be on the road to present talks in the coming days. On Monday, October 28th at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., he will present on the rich manuscript heritage of Grner monastery in Cilicia under Bishop John (Yovhannes Arkayeghbayr), brother of King Hetum I.

Then on November 7th at the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America he will participate in a program put together by the Western Diocese and the UCLA Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies, Prof. Peter Cowe, entitled “An Evening Honoring the Legacy of St. Nerses Shnorhali,” a literary, musical, artistic, and visual celebration of the saint’s liturgical music, including the Odes (տաղք), newly translated to English by Dr. Arlen and Matthew J. Sarkisian.

Both programs are open to the public.

While in Washington, D.C., Dr. Arlen presented today on medieval Armenian colophons at the Armenian Relief Society Norian “Youth Connect” Program at the Library of Congress and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, organized by Dr. Khatchig Mouradian.

Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan awarded Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship

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Mrs. Dolores Zohrab Liebmann was the daughter of the early twentieth-century Armenian intellectual, writer, and statesman Krikor Zohrab. During her lifetime, Mrs. Liebmann supported educational and charitable organizations, with a primary concern to attract and support students with outstanding character and ability, who would hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study.

Through a generous bequest at her death, Mrs. Liebmann created a perpetual charitable trust designated as The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund for the purpose of funding advanced education and graduate study grants, which must be carried out entirely in the United States of America.

The Eastern Diocese is among the select institutions eligible to nominate one candidate per year for the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Graduate Fellowship. Fellowships are renewable for three years and cover the cost of tuition and provide a stipend for living expenses.

We are pleased to announce that Diocesan nominee Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, a Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America and pastor of St. Mary Armenian Church in Washington, DC, has been awarded the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund Fellowship for academic year 2024–2025.

Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, pastor of St. Mary Armenian Church in Washington, DC and Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America

Born in Armenia, Fr. Hovsep undertook study at Gevorgian Theological Seminary in Etchmiadzin and the Seminary of the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem, graduating from the latter institution in 1997. In 2000, he earned a Master of Divinity from St. Nersess Armenian Seminary and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, writing a thesis on the 13th-century Armenian Church father Kirakos of Erzinka’s On the Eight Thoughts of Evagrius, published in the St. Nersess Theological Review vols. 5–6 (2000–2001).

After his graduation in 2000, he was appointed as deacon-in-charge of St. James Armenian Church in Richmond, VA. He was ordained into the holy priesthood of the Armenian Apostolic Church on February 22, 2004, by His Eminence Archbishop Khajag Barsamian. While in Richmond he also was instrumental in establishing a mission parish in the Tidewater area and served as the visiting pastor for the Armenian Church of Virginia’s Tidewater region.

In April of 2007, Fr. Hovsep was appointed as the pastor of St. Mary Armenian Church in Washington, DC, where he presently serves.

At the Catholic University of America, his research explores the works of the fourth-century Saint Evagrius of Pontus and their reception and significance in the Armenian monastic tradition. Evagrius’ writings, notable for their philosophical depth and rooted in the Alexandrian philosophical tradition, have profoundly impacted both Eastern and Western monastic traditions. In contrast, however, to his controversial legacy in the Greek and Latin traditions, in the Armenian tradition, Evagrius was venerated as a saint, and his teachings were diligently translated and preserved in numerous manuscripts.

In 2022, with Prof. Robin Darling Young, Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan co-authored Evagrius Ponticus, Letters. Armenian Translation, Corpus Scriptorium Christianorum Orientalium vol. 704 (Louvain: Peeters), a critical edition of a fascinating medieval reworking of the fourth-century Letters (and additional works) of Evagrius, wherein the letters are presented not as letters by Evagrius alone but as a correspondence between Evagrius and desert mother Melania the Elder. Continually interwoven with Biblical texts, they show the monastic teacher as a gnostikos guiding his female ascetic pupil.

Evagrius Ponticus, Letters. Armenian Translation. Edition, translation, and comments by Robin Darling Young and Hovsep Karapetyan, CSCO vol. 704 (Louvain: Peeters, 2022)

Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan’s dissertation aims to offer a critical examination, along with the first translation into English, of two of Evagrius’ central works in Armenian, Praktikos (Արդիւնաւոր) and Gnostikos (Գիտնաւոր). The research will investigate how these works were received and adapted in Armenian monasticism, with particular attention to their controversial dogmatic views. It will also assess the influence of Evagrius’ teachings on Armenian monastic thought and practice. In addition to providing much needed critical editions of these texts, his dissertation will contribute new insights into their spiritual and philosophical significance and highlight their role in shaping Armenian spirituality and theological discourse throughout the ages.

Fr. Hovsep said, “Receiving the Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowship is both an honor and a privilege, greatly supporting my studies and ministry. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Diocesan Zohrab Center for their support and invaluable assistance in the application process. This fellowship will significantly aid in advancing my research and the successful completion of my program.”

The Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fellowships are awarded only to candidates who have outstanding undergraduate records, have demonstrated a need for financial assistance, are citizens of the United States of America, are enrolled in accredited colleges and universities in the United States, and have received baccalaureate degrees. The trustees welcome applications from students of all national origins who are United States citizens.

Applications for the next cycle of funding will be announced in the Fall.

Recording of Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful discussion now available

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The recording of the conversation between Prof. George Demacopoulos with Dr. Jesse S. Arlen and Matthew J. Sarkisian on their book Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024) is now available to view on YouTube.

The Zoom webinar was hosted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University and co-sponsored by NAASR and the Zohrab Information Center.

The book is available to purchase from Armenian booksellers, including the NAASR bookstore, AGBU bookstore, Abril Books, and the Prelacy Bookstore as well as via Amazon.