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
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
Join us for the launch of our reading series, Literary Lights 2025, featuring Wasafiri Magazine’s special “Armenia(n)s – Elevation” issue editors and contributors. Editors Tatevik Ayvazyan and Naneh Hovhannisyan will be joined by contributors Dr. Jesse Arlen, Eddie Arnavoudian, Olivia Katrandjian, Lola Koundakjian, Nancy Kricorian, Christopher Millis, Margarit Ordukhanyan, Thomas Toghramadjian, Taline Voskeritchian, and guest reader Hovsep Markarian.
The event, cosponsored by Wasafiri Magazine, will take place on Zoom on February 15, 2025 at 9:00 AM Pacific | 12:00 PM Eastern | 9:00 PM AMT. Register here.
Literary Lights is a monthly reading series organized by IALA, the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, and the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Each event—held online or in-person—will feature a writer reading from their work, followed by a discussion with an interviewer and audience members. Keep an eye on our website and socials for the exact dates of each event. Read along with the series by purchasing titles from the IALA Bookstore powered by Bookshop.
From poetry and fiction to thought-provoking book reviews, art, life writing and in-depth interviews, Wasafiri’s “Armenia(n)s – Elevation” is a rich tapestry of modern Armenian voices. It offers readers a profound and eloquent exploration of the human condition through meditations on the Armenian language, culture, and identity. Featured contributors include award-winners such as Chris Bohjalian, Nancy Kricorian, and many more. Learn more about this landmark edition.
Armenia(n)s: Elevation Editors
Tatevik Ayvazyan is a London-based writer and producer with Rebel Republic Films and the former director of the Armenian Institute. She is the producer of the award-winning poetry film, Taniel, and is currently adapting Iris Murdoch’s The Italian Girl. She’s a board member of the International Armenian Literary Alliance, focusing on translation projects, and of Azad Archives.
Naneh Hovhannisyan is an Armenian-born researcher and writer of book reviews and personal essays. She is interested in history, memory, and belonging. Her work has been published by EVN Report, WritersMosaic, the Cambridge Review of Books, and others. Naneh co-edited the 2024 special issue of Wasafiri Magazine,Armenia(n)s: Elevation.
Armenia(n)s: Elevation Contributors
Dr. Jesse Arlen is the director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. His research focuses on medieval literature and religious culture. He is also a published writer and translator of Western Armenian poetry and critical and creative prose.
Eddie Arnavoudian has been passionate about literature, history, and politics, since the mid-1990s when he remastered the wonderful Armenian language. Across two decades and more, he has contributed comments and evaluations that have been published on The Critical Corner which is an integral element of the hugely valuable Groong/Armenian News Network founded and edited by Asbed Bedrossian.
Olivia Katrandjian is a writer and journalist published in The New York Times, Oxford Review of Books, Ms., and elsewhere. Her fiction was listed for Luxembourg’s National Literary Prize, the Bristol and Cambridge Short Story Prizes, and the Oxford-BNU Award. She is the founder of the International Armenian Literary Alliance.
Lola Koundakjian is a writer, editor and translator, who honed her skills at the Ararat Literary Quarterly. She runs the Dead Armenian Poet’s Society, and the online Armenian Poetry Project. Her book The Moon in the Cusp of my Hand won the Minas and Kohar Tololyan Prize in Contemporary Literature.
Nancy Kricorian is the author of four novels about post-genocide Armenian diaspora experience, including her forthcoming book The Burning Heart of the World, which focuses on an Armenian family in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. Her poems and essays have been published in The Los Angeles Review of Books Quarterly, The Markaz Review, Parnassus, Wasafiri, Minnesota Review, and other journals. She lives in New York.
Christopher Millis’s books of poetry include The Handsome Shackles and The Dark of the Sun, translations from the Italian of Umberto Saba. The former art critic for The Boston Phoenix, his Off Broadway productions include the libretto for Jean Erdman’s dance opera The Shining House and Garbage Boy.
Margarit Ordukhanyan is a New York-based scholar and translator of poetry and prose from her native Armenian and Russian into English. Ordukhanyan is 2023 National Endowment of the Arts Translation Fellow, and one of the two recipients of 2023 Israelyan Translation Grant from International Armenian Literary Alliance.
Thomas Toghramadjian is a translator, deacon, and scholar of modern Armenian literature with degrees from Boston College and Yerevan State University. He received a 2023 IALA Israelyan Translation Grant for his forthcoming English translation of Yeghishe Charents’s novel Land of Nayiri. A repatriate to Armenia since 2019, he currently lives in Lori Province.
Taline Voskeritchian’s prose and translations have appeared in the London Review of Books, The Nation, Bookforum, Words without Borders, Journal of Palestine Studies, The Markaz Review, Jadaliyya, and other publications. She has taught university courses in Boston and Yerevan, and conducted translation seminars for the Palestine Festival of Literature.
Guest Reader
Hovsep Markarian is a cultural manager, language teacher, and storyteller with a background of over ten years in diverse nonprofit managerial roles as well as journalism. He is passionate about and has experience in multiple art forms including writing, standup, music and theater. He serves as the executive director of the International Armenian Literary Alliance.
On Monday, February 3rd, at 7:00pm, Dr. Nora Lessersohn will deliver an illustrated lecture entitled, “The Twain Shall Meet: Armenian-American Images from the Civil War Era.”
All are welcome to attend this public event, featuring the life and work of Christopher Oscanyan, the first Armenian New Yorker.
Dr. Nora Lessersohn is the Nikit and Eleanora Ordjanian Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies in the Department of MESAAS at Columbia University. She is a historian of the Armenian-American diaspora and U.S.-Middle East relations, broadly conceived. She earned her PhD in History from University College London in 2023, supported by a Calouste Gulbenkian Armenian Studies Scholarship. In 2021-22, she was a Predoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of American History. She earned her AB in the Study of Religion at Harvard College and her AM in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, where she was also a Visiting Fellow in 2023-2024. Dr. Lessersohn has published articles on the memoir of her great-grandfather, Hovhannes Cherishian, and is now preparing a manuscript on Chistopher Oscanyan and Ottoman-American cultural diplomacy across the 19th century (and especially in Civil War era New York City).
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. Those unable to attend live can have access to the course materials and recordings of the sessions by registering via the Zoom registration linked below.
The course will be taught by Dr. Jesse Arlen with poetic texts chosen from the rich treasury of medieval Armenian literature. Writers include the 8th-century female hymn composers Khosrovidukht Goghtnatsi and Sahakdukht Siwnetsi, as well as Anania of Narek and St. Gregory of Narek, Gregory Magistros, St. Nersess Shnorhali, and others.
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.
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.
The Zohrab Center warmly invites you to our next in-person event and our last event of 2024, 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. Enter on 2nd Ave.
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.
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.
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.
Honoring the legacy of the eponymous intellectual of the Center, a bibliography of writer, lawyer, and parlamentarian, Krikor Zohrab, who also became victim to the Armenian Genocide, has been included under the biography page of our website.
Prepared by our very own Arthur Ipek back in 2015, and recently updated, it includes works published by Zohrab in Armenian, in addition to works about his personal life and literary legacy and translations into English, French, and Turkish. Although the bibliography has been prepared in Armenian, non-Armenian works are also noted.
The bibliography is freely available to download in .pdf and .docx format.
Photograph of Krikor Zohrab, Box 3, Folder 17, Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Collection (Collection 001). ZIC Special Collections, Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), New York, NY.
On Sunday, May 19th at 1:00pm after Pentecost Badarak at St. Vartan Cathedral, Dr. Jesse Arlen, director of the Diocese’s Zohrab Center, and Matthew Sarkisian, a self-taught translator of Classical Armenian from the Binghamton, NY area, will present their recently released book, Odes of Saint Nersess the Graceful: Annotated Translation (New York, NY: Tarkmaneal Press, 2024), a translation and study of 60 hymns by Catholicos Nersess. Copies of the book will be available at the event for sale, and a book signing will follow.
St. Nersess the Graceful (Nersēs Shnorhali, 1102–1173 A.D.), catholicos from 1166 until his death in 1173, was one of the great figures of the medieval Armenian Church. His most popular work is the prayer of twenty-four stanzas commonly known as “With Faith I Confess” (Havadov Khosdovanim), which has been translated into more than thirty languages. He was also a prolific author and composer of hymns and other poetic works, many of which remain little known today. This volume presents the Armenian text and an English translation of sixty of St. Nersess’s liturgical odes (tagh), fifty-eight of which have never been previously translated into English. These profound songs of praise were composed to enhance the celebration and reflect on the mystery of the various feasts and commemorations that make up the Christian liturgical year. The translation is accompanied by an introduction and extensive annotation, which brings to light the Biblical, theological, and poetic features of these literary treasures, making them accessible to the general reader in the twenty-first century.
About the Authors
Jesse S. Arlen is the director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America in New York and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. He has published a number of studies on medieval Christian spirituality and literature.
Matthew J. Sarkisian is a self-taught translator of Classical Armenian who lives in the Binghamton, New York area. He previously collaborated with Jesse Arlen on an annotated translation of an Armenian prayer scroll (hmayil), published in 2022 by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center.
About the Press
Tarkmaneal Press was founded in 2024 by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen with the goal of bringing bilingual editions of classical Armenian texts with annotated English translations available to a wide audience. Sarkisian is a self-taught translator of Classical Armenian who lives in the Binghamton, New York area. He previously collaborated with Jesse Arlen on an annotated translation of an Armenian prayer scroll (hmayil), published in 2022 by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center. Arlen is the director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University. He has published a number of studies on late antique and medieval Christian spirituality and monastic literature.
Praise for the Volume
“St. Nersess Shnorhali, Nersess the Graceful, belongs to the rank of those Church Fathers and Doctors who rightfully can be declared “the lyre of the Holy Spirit.” One of the earliest European Armenologists, the Jesuit Fr. Jacques Villote, admiring the sublime touches of heavenly inspiration emanating from Shnorhali’s verses, called his poetic masterpiece — named in Armenian Յիսուս, Որդի (Jesus, Son) from its incipit — “The Divine Elegy.” Nersess Shnorhali is one of the most exceptional figures in the history of the universal Church for more than one reason, but above all for his passionate search for the unity of the Church, and for his deep understanding, in the wake of St. Gregory of Narek, of the fragility, the conventionality, the inadequacy of human language in speaking of Divine mystery. The Odes in this volume, masterfully translated and commented upon by Matthew J. Sarkisian and Jesse S. Arlen, are among the most vibrant, genuine, and touching expressions of Shnorhali’s spirituality.”
— Abp. Levon Zekiyan, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Studies, Ca’ Foscari, Venice, and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome
“St. Nersess Shnorhali’s hymns are known for their literary beauty and spiritual sublimity. Sarkisian and Arlen convey both aspects in their mellifluous translation. The substantial annotation they provide further defines their mastery of the classical text.”
— Abraham Terian, Emeritus Professor of Armenian Patristics and Theology, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary
“Thanks to Jesse Arlen and Matthew Sarkisian for this carefully prepared labor of love and learning. They have curated for us a trove of lesser-known, spiritual gems from the vast storehouse of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s writings.”
— Roberta Ervine, Professor of Armenian Christian Studies, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary
