A collection of hundreds of documents commemorating Armenian people, places, and anniversaries has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center.
Two anniversary booklets for the Holy Cross Church of Armenia in New York, New York. The second booklet is also commemorative of the miraculous icon painting Charkhapan Soorp Asdvadzadzin by Simon Samsonian. Many of the parishes within this collection have booklets commemorating multiple anniversaries.
The collection includes commemoration books, pamphlets, event programs and flyers, yearbooks, orders of service for unique church events, and memorial materials for individuals.
A commemorative booklet for the 40th anniversary of the Khorenian Divine Liturgy, 2024. While the Zohrab Center has a liturgy collection, liturgy that was specific to one-time events was primarily placed in this collection.
This body of materials is a comprehensive look at the many ways in which Armenian people the world over have celebrated each other, organizations and groups, and milestones, a testament to the effort, especially in the Armenian diaspora, to preserve memory in the wake of genocide and exile.
A booklet commemorating the sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary of the Surp Pirgic Hospital of Istanbul, Türkiye, 1981.
The collection was processed by Linda Smith, an archival intern at the Zohrab Center who is beginning a graduate program through New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation in fall 2024. Additionally, Dr. Nareg Seferian assisted with processing and translation of the Armenian and other materials in the collection in non-English languages.
A booklet for one of the newer Armenian churches in the collection, which contains the Order of Consecration of a Church and the Divine Liturgy for St. Yeghiche Armenian Church in London, England, 2001.
The materials in the collection span over 120 years, originating from 1903 and continuing through to 2024. These items were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals.
A photographic spread from the 2023 booklet for the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary event 12 Vocations.
The collection’s first series comprises materials related to institutions and is broken down into three subseries: parishes, schools and seminaries, and organizations and other groups.
There is a wealth of commemoration books for Armenian churches all over the world (with a bulk of materials on churches in America) and several commemorative materials for the diocese itself.
Commemorative issue of The Mother Church (Մայր Եկեղեցի) magazine honoring the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. That anniversary was in 2007, though this magazine was published at the end of 2006. This collection contains several materials commemorating anniversaries of the Western and Eastern dioceses in America and the Diocese of Canada.
These kinds of items give a glimpse into the rich history of Armenian churches and their impact within their communities. Many of the commemorative books feature letters of appreciation and well wishes from religious leaders as well as politicians, at the local, state, and federal levels.
The second subseries highlights a number of Armenian schools and seminaries around the world, and how they have fostered the education of Armenian students for decades.
A special issue of the AGBU Mari Manukean Varzharan (AGBU Marie Manoogian School) school serial Դպրոցական Կեանք (Dprots’akan Keank’, School Life) dedicated to the school’s 15th anniversary, 1991. Materials about the legacy of Marie and her husband Alex are also available in the philanthropists subseries of this collection.
This subseries is more global in scope, which allows visitors browsing the collection to get a sense of the span of the Armenian diaspora and its effort to foster spiritual and cultural education around the world.
A booklet and letter calling for admissions for the Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy of Kolkata (Calcutta), India (Կալկաթայի Հայոց Մարդասիրական Ճեմարան), circa early- to mid-2010s.Commemorative booklet for the 150th anniversary and the occasion of the re-inauguration of Bardizatagh in Jerusalem, Israel, 1993. The booklet contains a history of the monastery, photographs of the grounds and clergy members, and a message from Archbishop Torkom Manoogian.
The third subseries focuses on various organizations and groups, mostly based in North America.
A booklet commemorating the centennial (100th) anniversary of the establishment of an Armenian community in Ontario, Canada, 1998.
These groups have supported Armenian camaraderie and causes for decades, with some groups providing specific assistance to children, seniors, and students. Many of these groups continue a legacy of accomplishment and support into the present day for Armenian people.
A pamphlet and booklet commemorating the centennial (100th) anniversary of the Armenian Students’ Association of America, Inc. (ASA), 2010.
Next in the collection is the individuals series. The people represented range from average citizens who worked in a variety of fields to priests and clergymen, from philanthropists to writers and artists of all sorts.
A program booklet celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, New York by Archbishop Tiran Nersoyan, 2002.
The clergy subseries has a plethora of materials, honoring the ordinations of various holy men in the Armenian Church and remembering their lives and legacies. They all come with their own stories and personalized material.
The ordination and consecration booklet for Benjamin Rith-Najarian as a priest, 2014. Some of these materials have notes from the presiding clergy, showing preparations taken for each ceremony.
Musicians, writers, and artists form three of the following four subseries. This collection features a varied breadth of materials from creative Armenians, who were active at various points from the end of the 19th century through the 20th century.
A program for an event honoring the artist Sarkis Katchadourian, 1956. The ZIC’s second special collection contains photographs of his wife Vava, many of which include Sarkis.
Their artistry continues to be appreciated and to inspire new actors, poets, authors, musicians, composers, visual artists, and singers to this day.
An Armenian Program booklet honoring poet Avetik Isahakian, 1958; and a commemorative booklet for the 120th anniversary of the birth of Hratch Yervant, 2006. Though many people worked in more than one field, individuals were placed within one subseries for clarity in organization.
The fourth subseries includes materials commemorating businessmen and entrepreneurs whose philanthropic efforts have been wide-reaching. Whether they generally supported the Armenian community, philanthropic organizations, and Armenian studies at universities like Alex Manoogian or championed public institutions including the New York Public Library like Vartan Gregorian, these individuals used their success to support people and groups in need throughout their lives.
A 2022 commemorative publication honoring the life and legacy of Vartan Gregorian one year after his passing.
The final series consists of events and milestones more broadly. These materials either cannot easily be associated with an institution or individual(s), or are of such a general nature that they are better studied in a separate category. A highlight of this series is several materials relating to the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia, a milestone commemorated in 2001.
One of the collection’s many commemorative materials for the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of Armenia, 2001. This booklet also honors a pontifical visit from Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians to the Diocese of Canada.
This collection brings together a plethora of resources. The collection shows how Armenians have acknowledged both tragedy and joy for over 120 years, honoring those people and places lost as well as remembering times of growth and prosperity.
A commemorative booklet containing the order of canonization of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, 2015.
All throughout the series highlights the efforts of Armenians, especially in the diaspora, to preserve memory and document their own history.
A spread from a bilingual booklet from an Armenian history contest held in honor of Archbishop Torkom Manoogian’s 20th year as primate, 1982.
This collection is now available for visitors who want to research commemorative events and materials and learn more about individuals, groups, and milestones integral to the history and legacy of Armenian people around the world. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
A poster drawn by Yervant Nahabedian commemorating the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Nor Jougha/New Julfa, Iran, 2004.
A collection of hundreds of documents relating to the Armenian Cause including articles, letters, unpublished genocide survivor’s memoirs, exhibition catalogs, booklets, pamphlets, and ephemera has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center. The materials in this collection relate first and foremost to the genocide of 1915, but also include materials related to the Soviet and post-Soviet Republic of Armenia, especially Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). The collection was processed by Linda Smith, a graduate student at Simmons University, pursuing a degree in Archives Management, who is concurrently an archival intern at the Zohrab Center.
Photocopies of the first four pages of Yervant “Edward” Alexanian’s memoir Forced into Genocide: Memoirs of an Armenian Soldier in the Ottoman Turkish Army. Photocopies of the original materials were donated by his daughter and the memoir’s editor Adrienne Alexanian. This donation is held in boxes 6 and 7 of this collection.
The materials in the collection span over 100 years, originating from the end of the 19th century through 2022. These items were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals.
Panoramic view of Sivas, the Armenian quarter of Alexanian’s birthplaceAdrienne made notes like this one on several documents, so researchers can quickly gather details on a particular resource and its significance.
The collection’s first series is comprised of memoirs and accounts of survivors of the genocide. Most of these accounts are unpublished and unknown to both scholars and the general public, while some like Yervant Alexanian’s Forced into Genocide or Hagop Vartanian’s My Story were only published in English translation (while this collection at the Zohrab Center includes the handwritten Armenian original).
Alexanian at three different points in his military career. In the top photo, he is a new conscript in the Ottoman Turkish Army; in the middle photo, he is a new graduate of the Harbiye Military Academy; in the bottom photo, he is a second lieutenant.
Scans from the family history and diary of Hagop Vartanian, which was eventually translated and published in English by Dr. Roberta Ervine under the title My Story: Hagop Vartanian (1873–1950), Genocide: A Father’s Struggle from the United States.
These memoirs are handwritten (or, in one case, photocopies of handwritten and primary source documents) or typed on a typewriter/computer, with several survivors having pasted their own family photos within these materials.
A 1989 memoir entitled “My Name is Avak and I Survived The Armenian Holocaust of 1915: How a Young Boy, Avak Takeljian and His Family Became the Victims”.
This series in the collection provides precious new sources for genocide historians and the interested public alike, each one a testament both to the similarities in experiences of Armenian Genocide survivors while also highlighting the unique journeys of the various individuals and families during and after the tragedy.
Among those individuals is Zaven Seraidarian with his six bound volumes of handwritten notes, memories, poetry, drawings, and scrapbooked images.
“Left to Right: Zaven, Mari, Mihran Seraidarian. We are witness to 1915.”“Zaven Seraidarian – I was born in the Putania [Bithynia] region of western Asia Minor, Nicomedia, the town of Geyve, Kaylaplour [Wolf-Hill] or, in translation, the Turkish name Ghurtbalan or Kurtbelen, Turkey.”“Mihran – Zaven Seraidarian, two brothers, scions of a patriarchal family. We are witness to the two and a half million martyrs. Whoever reads this story of a bloody journey – we remain living in this world. Whoever does not read this story of a bloody journey – that is when we two brothers will be dead to this world.”“Springtime Teardrops – The world belongs to the powerful, may God take our vengeance upon our enemies – You must be sacred hearts in the world – H. T., M. M., Z. S.”“To the Armenian who speaks in a foreign language, always respond in Armenian.”
Seraidarian shares a mix of materials, including personal memories and emotions from his experiences of the First World War and the Armenian Genocide, expressed both in the contents of his writing and the various forms they take in the volumes.
He includes photographs of himself, as well as other images, and writes about the legacy of the Armenians of what is today the north-west of Turkey, historically known as Putania (Բիւթանիա) or Bithynia. Seraidarian was from an area by the town of Geyve near the major city of that region, Nicomedia (modern Izmit).
Seraidarian’s writings are repetitive, often dwelling on the horrors he witnessed and experienced, replete with longing for justice for himself and the Armenian people. Our current generation may assess his volumes as manifestations of journaling, or efforts to work through the traumas that so deeply afflicted his life.
The second series covers community and political activism, which includes documentation of worldwide efforts to raise awareness of the genocide, as well as more contemporary struggles involving Soviet Armenia, the Republic of Armenia, and Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh). This is the largest series, including articles, conference reports, and booklets. Materials from government subcommittees and from the House of Representatives and Senate show efforts to recognize April 24 as the National Day of Remembrance of Man’s Inhumanity to Man and hold Turkey accountable for its actions during and after the genocide.
An informational flyer that contains historic information about Armenia in general and the genocide.
The third series contains historical and informational documents. These are materials that provide background information about Armenia and the genocide, both from historical and contemporary points of view, often meant to influence public opinion, raise awareness, or educate younger generations.
A spread from a 1980 booklet entitled “Sauver ce qui peut encore être sauvé…les monuments arméniens de Turquie” (“Save what can still be saved…the Armenian monuments of Turkey”).
The final series contains materials from memorial events and exhibitions that took place in commemoration of the genocide. The booklets and articles in this series provide a comprehensive picture of how Armenians around the world have continued to remember and speak about the Armenian Genocide and its aftermath, as well as educate the general population through sharing stories and art.
A booklet for an art exhibition entitled “Absence Presence: The Artistic Memory of the Holocaust and Genocide”, which was held at the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota from January 7-February 25, 1999.
This collection brings together a wide array of mostly unpublished materials related to the Armenian Cause in general and the genocide in particular, including unpublished and previously unknown survivor accounts. This collection also highlights the efforts of Armenians and their allies the world over to remember the tragedy, honor the Armenian people, hold the Turkish government accountable, and share their experiences through the arts and community engagement.
A scan of H.R. 191, a bill passed in the Texas House of Representatives officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This resolution passed in 2017.
This collection is now available for visitors who want to research the genocide and learn more about past and present efforts related to genocide remembrance and activism for the Armenian Cause. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
A collection of about one hundred maps has recently been processed and is now available for the interested public to view at the Zohrab Information Center, along with related atlases and guidebooks. The collection was processed by Linda Smith, a graduate student at Simmons University, pursuing a degree in Archives Management, who is concurrently an archival intern at the Zohrab Center.
The collection includes materials that cover over 2800 years of Armenian cartographic history that were acquired and donated over the years by various individuals. The maps, atlases, and guidebooks in this collection were published as early as 1880 and as late as 2003.
Illustrated Guide-Map of Historical Architectural Monuments of Soviet Armenia (publication date unknown). This material is available in English, French, and Armenian.
The first three series of this collection include maps of Armenia and neighboring lands in the past. From consulting these maps, one can see the changes of Armenia’s borders and geographic features over time. There are maps that show its importance as part of the Bible lands, part of the Near East, and when it was in the Byzantine, Persian, Ottoman, and Turkish Empires and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)/Soviet Union.
There are several maps that show Armenia within empires and unions, including this political and administrative map of the USSR, published circa the 1960s or 1970s.
There are also detailed, illustrated reference maps that highlight specific things within the country, including birds native to different parts of the country, architectural and monument maps, and a style map showing traditional Armenian dress.
Style Map of the Armenian People (publication date unknown). This is one of many available reference maps that give greater detail about the peoples within Armenia.
Scans of the Birds of Armenia reference map, published in 1999. There are corresponding books available in the Zohrab Information Center catalog. A link in the finding aid will take a user directly to the catalog entries.
A treasured part of this collection includes maps of Havav Village in Palu, which were hand drawn from memory by Hareton Saksoorian after he escaped the massacres.
Maps of Havav Village in Palu (Բալու) by Hareton Saksoorian (Յարութիւն Ձախսուրեան), 1966. The first picture shows the Palu map drawn by Saksoorian; the second picture is another hand-drawn map showing part of Armenia in the Ortokid period of the 12th century; the third picture shows the border between Turkey and Armenia established by President Woodrow Wilson.
The fourth series includes historical atlases that compile several maps of Armenia over time in one book. One historical atlas in this collection can take someone through Armenia’s history and changing borders from 824 B.C. through 1964 A.D. Another is a road map of Armenia and neighboring countries.
Maps from the Hammond’s Historical Atlas. These depict Armenia as it was from 824 to 625 B.C., the sixth century B.C., and 1000 A.D.
Lastly, the fifth series contains guidebooks. These materials include text, photographs, or both of important and popular places in various Armenian locales. Most of the guidebooks are for the city of Yerevan, though there are some of Etchmiadzin, the island of San Lazzaro in the Venetian lagoon, and Armenian churches as well.
Maps and photos from a Yerevan guidebook published in 1982. There are multiple guidebooks in the collection of Armenia’s capital city.
This collection is a visual representation of changes throughout Armenian history due to different leaders and struggles with neighboring countries and former empires. These materials are an invaluable look into the geography and boundaries of this country as they have remained the same and changed at various points in history, as well as places of interest that can still be seen in Armenia today.
Images from an Etchmiadzin guidebook (publication date unknown).
This collection is now available for visitors looking to conduct research or consult maps and guidebooks to learn more about Armenia, its lands, and landmarks of the past and present. A searchable finding aid of the collection is available to view here.
The international conference “Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia” is taking place this Thursday and Friday (Nov 30–Dec 1) at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome. Among the invited speakers are Zohrab Center director Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, former Diocesan primate Bp. Daniel Findikyan, St. Nersess Armenian Seminary Emeritus Professor Dr. Abraham Terian and current St. Nersess Seminary Professor Dr. Roberta R. Ervine, along with an impressive lineup of scholars and clergymen.
The conference was organized in conjunction with a series of events that were to take place in Rome and the Vatican, including concerts and an ecumenical prayer service, to honor the 850th year since the death of St. Nerses Shnorhali. Unfortunately, all events apart from the conference have been indefinitely postponed.
A conference flyer and schedule are available to view below:
If you missed David Hotson’s talk on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church” then you can watch the recording of the talk below (or a previous and similar talk given at an international conference on Eastern Christian architecture and Modernity at Fordham University.
“The Making of Saint Sarkis Church,” Fordham University, June 1, 2023
“Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), November 1, 2023
Come to Kavookjian Hall at the Diocesan Center this Wednesday, Nov. 1st, to hear architect David Hotson speak on “Raising Awareness of Armenian History through the Design of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church,” the award-winning church in Dallas, Texas. A reception will follow the illustrated presentation, which is organized by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center under the auspices of Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America (Eastern).
(Left to Right) Aren Yegoryan, Armen Karakashian, Arthur Ipek, Dr. Jesse Arlen, Luiza Ghazaryan, Tessa Weber
The Zohrab Center’s 2023 Lily E. Jelalian summer internship program came to a successful conclusion on Thursday, July 27th. Two high school and two college interns assisted with coordinating donations to the library and processing and cataloging Armenian-related books and periodicals in Armenian, English, Turkish, Russian, Spanish, and Italian, as well as organizing the library’s space and its holdings to make it more functional. All together, over 500 new items were processed and added to the collection, where they are now searchable via the library’s online catalog.
Working under the guidance of director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, and special projects coordinator and cataloger, Arthur Ipek, each intern also had a special project they pursued, meant to give them an opportunity to foster and develop their own interests in Armenian culture, history, language, and literature.
Armen Karakashian, a Mathematics major at Rutgers University, where he is also taking classes in Western Armenian, translated the beginning of a novella by Matteos Mamurean and developed a prototype for an AI-based software to assist in the cataloging of books.
Tessa Dadourian Weber, a high school student at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, learned the Armenian alphabet and researched the Kütahya/Jerusalem Ottoman Armenian ceramics and pottery tradition, which she plans to apply in her own ceramics practice.
Aren Yegoryan, a high school student at Saint Demetrios Prep in Queens, researched the history of modern Armenian photography.
Each of the interns had an opportunity to reflect on their own experience working at the Zohrab Center.
Armen Karakashian translating an Armenian novella
Armen Karakashian: “I am incredibly grateful for my internship at the Zohrab Center. The internship provided me with the opportunity to continue learning the Armenian language in new and challenging ways, such as interpreting Armenian texts for cataloguing purposes and being introduced to the Eastern Armenian dialect. In addition to cataloguing books, I also practiced translating chapters from the novella Ամիս մը Ծովուն Վրայ by Մատթէոս Մամուրեան (A Month on the Sea by Matteos Mamurean) and programmed a prototype AI-based software to assist in the cataloguing of books. I was also exposed to many Armenians throughout the cathedral and the center who speak the language fluently, which greatly assisted in my own learning of the language.”
Luiza Ghazaryan cataloging books
Luiza Ghazaryan: “Interning at the Zohrab Information Center gave me the opportunity to be closer to the treasures of Armenian literature, history, and art. During my time as an intern, my mentors and peers inspired me to explore the beauty of my roots, strengthen my skills in Creative Writing, and publish translations of Armenian poems in The Armenian Poetry Project. I spent most of my time cataloging the donated books and in this very captivating process, I encountered new writing styles and forms of art, and learned more about talented Armenians.”
Tessa Weber cataloging the AGBU periodical “Hoosharar”
Tessa Dadourian Weber: “During my time spent at the Zohrab Center this summer, I completed various projects and tasks. One reason I became interested in working and researching at the center was to expand my knowledge on Armenian pottery. Next year I plan to engage in an independent study at my school on Armenian pottery. Having the opportunity and access to the Zohrab Center has allowed me to gain a basis of understanding on how these vessels were created and the history behind them. I plan to take what I have learned to my study where I aim to use the same techniques as used in the Ottoman Armenian tradition from Kütahya and Jerusalem. In addition to my research, I spent time at the center helping organize the periodicals, some dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. Sorting through different series of periodicals, for example Hoosharar, broadened my prior knowledge on different subjects, for instance the history of AGBU. Lastly, I spent time studying the Armenian alphabet so I would have the ability to read titles of books and periodicals located in the center.”
Aren Yegoryan shelving books
Aren Yegoryan: “During my time at the Zohrab Center, I assisted in processing, cataloging, and organizing Armenian books. It was a pleasant experience to participate in as a summer job. It provided a sense of responsibility and gave me my first work experience, which I’m sure will help me with my future endeavors. Being exposed to many different books, people, and information, the environment was great to work in, and I’d certainly do it again.”
The Zohrab Center’s 2023 Lily E. Jelalian summer internship program lasted for six weeks, from June 19th to July 27th, with the interns coming to work in person at the Center three days per week.
(Left to Right) Armen Karakashian, Aren Yegoryan, Arthur Ipek, Dr. Jesse Arlen, Luiza Ghazaryan, Tessa Weber
Last month, I was approached with a request to translate a letter written in Kars in 1917, from one Sarkis P. Jigarjian to his daughter Araksi (Arax), after a fire had erupted on the family property, causing the loss of several buildings (though not the family home or anyone’s life). The letter is written in the Kars dialect and contains several words of foreign origin (particularly Russian and Turkish). That the letter was written in haste after a sleepless night is evidenced not just by the numerous spelling errors and grammatical irregularities,[1] but by Sarkis’ own words in the final lines where he describes his state as like that of a drunken man and apologizes for his bad handwriting. Despite this statement, the handwriting is rather beautiful and mostly legible.[2]
The Jigarjian family portrait, circa 1910, with Arax seated between her parents.
Descendants of the Jigarjian family who produced the letter also provided the following background information: “This is believed to be the last letter Sarkis wrote to his youngest and favorite child, Arax. We suspect that the fire he reported was a result of arson. At some point within the following year or two, Sarkis was murdered. His murderers were identified as Turks by his wife who then fled Kars and lived her remaining days with her daughter, Arax, and her family.”[3]
World War I and its immediate aftermath was a time of upheaval and instability in Kars, when the city was a heavily contested site between the Ottoman and Russian Empires and then the young Republics of Armenia and Turkey.[4] In February 1917, when this letter was written, Kars was part of the Russian Empire, then considered to be an important strategic outpost and fortress for the empire in the Caucasus. In the wake of the instability caused by the Bolshevik Revolution in late 1917, the Turks looked to expand their position eastwards and shortly after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 3, 1918) occupied Kars on April 25, 1918. This may have been when the letter’s author, Sarkis Jigarjian, met his bitter end. A year later, with British assistance, Kars became part of the First Republic of Armenia on April 28, 1919. But on October 30, 1920 it fell with little resistance to the Turkish Republic, within whose borders the city remains to this day.
The Caucasian Front in World War I, 1914–1918 [from Robert H. Hewsen, Armenia: A Historical Atlas (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001), map 221, p. 229.]
Below is a digitized scan of the two-page letter, written on Sarkis Jigarjian’s business letterhead, followed by a transcription and translation, which should be of interest both to scholars as well as the general public. Any corrections to the translation or transcription may be made in the comments below or by private email to zohrabcenter@armeniandiocese.org.
— Dr. Jesse S. Arlen
[1] In fact, there is no punctuation in the letter, which reads as one very long sentence.
[2] I would like to thank Vartan Matiossian, Nareg Seferian, and Sonya Martirosyan for their many helpful suggestions and especially for their assistance with the Russian words in the letter.
[4] For a historical survey of Kars in this period, see Richard G. Hovannisian, “The Contest for Kars, 1914–1921,” in Armenian Kars and Ani, edited by Richard G. Hovannisian (Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 2011), 273–317.
11ըն փետրվարի 1917.
ՍԱՐԳԻՍ Փ. ՋԻԳԱՐՋԵԱՆՑ
ԵՒ ՈՐԴԻՔ
— ԿԱՐՍՈՒՄ —
Սիրելի որդեակ իմ Արագսի,
Ամսուն 10ին երեկօեան ժամը 7ին ժամանակը խօրէնը շատ զարպանձ զըվանօքը տըվեց բէրդա գընաց դուռը բացէց իսկուն ներս եկաւ եւ ասաւ որ մեր հաեադին մէջ պաժառ կա իսկուն հէվէտդուրս վազեցինք որ մեր փետանօձի վրաի պալկօնը բօլօրօվ կըպերէ եւ սուր կերպօվ վառւումէ խօրէնը սկսեց այդ կրակի մէջ պալկօնը քանդել յետօ տեսանք որ չաբազանձ շատացաւ վառելը խօրէնը արմէնը ըսկըսեցին մէր փօքր հայեադի դուռը եւ քօվի նուժնիկը բօլօրօվին քար ու քանտ էրին եւ հէտօ մեր կուխնիի դըռան քօվի յօտին տախտակէ պուտկէն բօլօրօվին քանտեցին տեսանք որ շատ յուժէղացաւ պաժա[ռը] արմէնակը կամանտիրին քօվէր գընացէր եւ կամանդիրը իսկուն յիրան պառքի սալտատնէրուն հրամաեր էր եկան բօլօր վէշջիքը տարան կամանտիրի տունը ի հարկէ թան ո փօխինդ էղաւ բօլօր վէշջիքը վէրչապէս այսօր առա[ւօտ] նօրից պառքի Սալտատնէրը վէշջիքը բերին տուն դեռ եւս մէզ յայտնի չէ թէ ինչ բան չիկա միեայ[ն] թէ այս քան յիմացիր որ մէնք լավ պրծանք եւ վեշջիքը արթէն մեր կուխնիին եւ փատանօձին վրաի եղած շինութիւները բօլօրը վառվեցան քարուքանտ էրին հիմա մէր տունը բօլօրօվին սելեմեդէ ոչ ինչ կըրակ չի դիպաւ [page 2] միեայն թէ շատ չարչարվեցանք ժամը 12ին գընացինք հաճօնձը այն տեղ 2 կամ 3 ժամ իբրեւ թէ քընէցանք սիրելի Արաքսի ճան այս պաժառը շատ կը բարձրանար միեայն թէ ինչպէս բարի բաղդութիւն ունեցեր էինք որ քաղաքիս կամէնտանտը եկեր էր եւ տեսաւ որ պաժառը շատ պիտի բարձրանա իսկուն տէլէֆօնօվ ձօրի պաժառնի կամանտիրին բերել տըվեց որ պաժառը մարեցին իսկ եթէ քաղաքին պաժառի կամանտին մընայինք այս մէր սրան բօլօրն ալ կը վառէին ես քեզի տեղօվը գրեցի որ չի լինի թէ յուրիշից յիմանաս թէ ինչէ եղեր կամ ինչ չէ եղեր ավելի լավէ որ բօլօր բանը մանրամասը այս նամակօվս յայտնեցի ես այսպէս յարմար գըտա որ ինչպէս կատարվէլ եւ բօլօրը մի առ մի ձեզի տեղեկացնեմ սիրելի Արաքսի ճան դու հանգիստ եղիր այսօր էկան բօլօր վեշզիքը յիրանձ տեղերը կը տեղաւորցընենք վերչապէս Աստված բաները աջօղէ պառքի կամանտիրին եւ պարքի սալտատնէրուն եւ մէկ այլ քաղաքիս մեծապատիւ կամենտանտին վերչապէս Աստված հեռու պահէ այս տեսակ գալստական փօրձանքներէ եւ յուրիշ այլ եւ այլ գալստական փորձանքներէ Աստված պահէ. սիրելի Արաքսի ճան այս նամակս գրեցի քեզի ի միամըտութեան համ[ար] միեայն թէ գիտես թէ հարբածի պէս եմ գըլօխս դըմդըմպումէ սրա համար գիրս գէս դուրս կեաւ օտարական չէս խօմ մնամ քեզ միշտ օրհնօղ քո ծընօղ հայր։
Սարգիս. փ. Ջիգարջեանց
February 11, 1917
Sarkis P. Jigarjian and sons, Kars.
My dear child Araksi,
On the tenth of the month[1] at 7:00 in the evening[2] Khoren rang the bell[3] very frantically, Berta went and opened the door and he rushed inside and said that there is a fire[4] in our courtyard.[5] We immediately ran outside and saw that the entire balcony of our woodshed had caught fire and was fiercely burning. Khoren began to demolish the balcony in the middle of the fire but when we saw that the burning had increased too much, Khoren and Armen then began to utterly reduce to rubble the small gate of our courtyard and the outhouse[6] beside it and then they also completely tore down the flock’s wooden pen[7] next to our kitchen.[8] But when we saw that the fire had grown even stronger, Armenak went for the komandir,[9] and the komandir immediately gave an order to his park[10] soldiers,[11] who came and took all our belongings[12] to the komandir’s house, and of course all our belongings got mixed up.[13] Finally this morning the park soldiers brought our belongings back home. It’s still not clear to us what all was lost but know this much: we escaped safely along with our belongings. All the structures that were in our kitchen[14] and woodshed were burnt and destroyed, but for now our house is entirely unharmed[15] and the fire didn’t touch any of it. It’s just that we were very distressed. At midnight we went to the hajonts[16]and there we tried to sleep for two or three hours. My dear Araksi, this fire was rising so high, that was our only good fortune that the city kamendand[17] had come and seen that the fire was going to grow even more and so immediately called on the phone and had the valley fire chief[18] brought over and they put out the fire. And if we had been left to the city’s fire crew,[19] everything would have burned. I wrote to you on the spot so that you wouldn’t learn from someone else what had happened. It’s better that I reveal to you in this letter the whole affair in detail, I thought it was more appropriate for me to inform you of how everything happened in order.[20] My dear Araksi, don’t be worried. All our belongings came today, we’ll finally put everything back in its place. May God grant success to these things and may God keep the park commander and the park soldiers and our city’s highly honorable kamendand safe from such apocalyptic tribulations and may God protect [us] from all other kinds of apocalyptic tribulations. My dear Araksi, I wrote you this letter to reassure you. But know that I feel like a drunk man, my head is throbbing and for that reason my handwriting came out so bad, you are so dear to me[21] and I shall ever remain your devoted father,
Sarkis P. Jigarjian
[1] i.e., February 10th (the day before he wrote this letter).
[13] թան ո փոխինդ էղաւ. Literally, ‘became tan [yogurt drink] and polenta.’ Meaning of the idiom is uncertain— I thank Nareg Seferian for the above suggestion.
[16] Հաճօնցը. Uncertain meaning— perhaps a spelling mistake for hawnots (‘chicken coop’). Alternatively, it could be “at Hajis’ house,” perhaps a neighbor.
St. Vartan Cathedral, New York (photo by Albin Lohr-Jones)
“The Warrior Saint Within: A Symbolic Interpretation of Vartanants” by Dr. Jesse S. Arlen
This talk was given in the Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium at the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America in New York City on the Feast of Sts. Vartanants and name day celebration of St. Vartan Cathedral on February 24, 2022. I’m grateful to Diocesan Primate Bp. Daniel Findikyan and Cathedral Vicar Fr. Davit Karamyan for the invitation to speak on this occasion.
For many of you the number of times is past counting that you have come to St. Vartan Cathedral on this feast day. For others, you can remember a handful of times. For me, it is only the first time, but no less meaningful for that. Here we are on the Feast of Sts. Vartanants, underneath the mother cathedral dedicated to that warrior saint whose protection and guidance our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers sought, when their fortune saw them flung to the eastern shore of this country after they had endured a calamity even greater than that faced by St. Vartan and his companions. What was it they saw in a defeated and slain warrior from a millennium and a half ago that so inspired them?
For an event like the one we’re dealing with here to be worthy of remembrance, for it to turn into what skeptics might call ‘legend’ or ‘myth,’ but what we might better name ‘sacred history,’ it must be symbolically meaningful; that is, it must embody timeless, spiritual meaning.[1] It is at that symbolic level that I’d like to focus my brief remarks this evening.
To do so, let me call your attention to a less celebrated passage in Ghazar Parbetsi’s History— but one that I think is key to uncovering the deeper meaning found in this event.[2] Before the Battle of Avarayr, Vartan and the other Armenian, Georgian, and Caucasian Albanian Christian noble lords are called to the Sasanian Shah Yazkert’s court who presents them with the following choice: either abandon your Christian faith and accept Zoroastrianism or see yourselves, your wives, children, and nation annihilated.[3] What do we expect these heroes and Christian saints will do? Surely, they will spit in the shah’s face and say they’ll never yield to such threats. But that is not what happened.
Ghazar tells us that Vartan deliberated in agony for a while, while remembering that saying of Christ, “Whoever loves his wife and children more than me, is not worthy of me.”[4] But his companions quoted other Scriptures, not unlike how Satan once tempted Jesus in the wilderness.[5] They reminded Vartan of what St. Paul had said, “I would make myself cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of saving my brothers and relatives”[6] and urged him to do just that along with them, in order to save their wives and children and kinsmen: i.e., they asked him to renounce Christ (if only under pretense) in order to save the lives of those they loved.[7] What do you think Vartan did? Surely, he refused them and that is why we remember him today as a Christian martyr, right? Wrong. On that occasion, he silenced the voice of truth within him, and along with his companions chose the way of deception, feigning abandonment of Christ and accepting Zoroastrianism, and thus lying his way out of the difficult situation.
It was a hard dilemma. If you’re brave enough to try such an experiment, look inside yourself at a quiet, solitary moment and ask yourself what you would do if given the same choice?
Well, Ghazar tells us that the nobles then returned to their land and when their wives and children along with priests chanting Psalms came out to greet them, they instantly began to weep and wail because they found that their husbands looked dark and half-dead, and the light that usually shone from their faces no longer did so.[8] This refers, of course, to the beaming charisma that seems to glow from the faces and eyes of those who live truthfully and uprightly at all times, who always seek the highest good. It is the golden halo that iconographers paint behind the faces of saints. It shone no more from the faces of those men who were living no longer in the light of truth.
Vartan soon discovers that as a result of his deception, all goodness, beauty, and joy has been stripped away from his life. Neither his wives nor children, not even his servants can bear to be in his presence or sit with him at table.[9] He himself cannot even endure being in his own realm any longer, and looking for a way to run from himself and his problems, he decides to flee to the Roman empire, where he can be safe and secure.[10]
His fellow Christian nobles come to him again, this time urging him to stay and fight with them in the wars with Iran that are sure to come, once their deception has been found out.[11] Once again, Vartan is faced with a hard dilemma. Should he run to another realm where he can practice Christianity safely, protect his family, and so escape death? Or, should he accept his own mortality, and honestly and courageously face the difficult lot he has been dealt? It is this inner battle that was the most difficult one that Vartan fought, the war he waged within himself. And after the initial defeat at the Persian court, it is from this inner battle that he emerged victorious, when he decided that no matter the cost or outcome he would follow the way that he knew deep down within him to be right, which meant accepting his own mortality, facing death in battle.
For the last couple weeks, I’ve meditated on the sculptural relief of Vartan that stands on the south-facing wall above the entrance of our cathedral. One might have expected Vartan to be depicted standing tall and proud in full armor, sword in hand, ready to wage war. But that is not at all what the inspired artist, Bogdan Grom, depicted. Call the image to mind if you can.
St. Vartan (left) on the south-facing wall of St. Vartan Cathedral, New York (designed by Bogdan Grom; photo by Albin Lohr-Jones)
Notice his posture. He is there on bended knee, helmet off beside him, face resolute, holding the cross in his left hand at his chest, and pointing upwards with his right hand. What does all this mean? To take off your protective armor and grip the cross at the center of yourself is to honestly accept your own mortality, the inescapable death sentence that is placed on every one of us that comes into this world. To fall on one knee and point upwards is to submit yourself to Reality as it is, to the lot that you have been dealt, and despite that to work for the highest good you can conceive given the limitations of your self and the circumstances of your life, leaving the outcome of your efforts entirely in God’s hands. You cannot choose the circumstances you will face in life, and there are many forces working against you that will always remain outside of your control. All you can control is your own self and how you will respond to them. Vartan overcame the deceptive, inner desires that urged him toward self-preservation and self-protection, that urged him to seek his own advantage at the expense of the highest good. And because of that decision, that inner victory that Vartan won, the halo glows again behind his head. It is there on the sculpture on the cathedral wall.
Meanwhile, Vasak, prince of Siwnik, took advantage of the unfortunate circumstances in Armenia to advance his own interests, caring little that it required treachery and betrayal to do so. He colluded with the Iranian shah and worked behind the scenes to betray Vartan and the other Christian nobles.[12] Vasak sought upward mobility and personal reward at the cost of honesty and loyalty. He compromised his highest ideal and betrayed his companions. This is corruption at its very worst— taking advantage of a bad situation for personal benefit to the detriment of those dependent on you. Vasak tried to trick reality through deceit, lies, and treachery. However, soon after the Battle of Avarayr, the tables were turned on him, and falling out of favor with the shah, he was imprisoned and died in ignominy.[13]
And so, this story presents us with two paths that we may pursue in life. We can choose to shun lies and deception and follow the voice within us that speaks the truth, or we can try to twist reality to our own ends through lies, deception, and deceit. In this life, one thing is certain: we will face difficulty, calamity, crisis, unfavorable external circumstances that lie entirely outside of our control, which we did not ask for and do not want. When that happens, a voice within us will bring up every excuse and reason why we should give up or lie or cheat our way out of the difficult circumstance, perhaps even using Scripture as justification. But there is another voice always inside you: it is much quieter but it always tells you what is right and speaks the hard truth you need to hear. We can call it our conscience or the “spirit of truth.”[14] If you follow that first voice, you take the path of Vasak, trying to twist reality to your own end. But reality has a way of snapping back into shape and crushing the one who tried to bend it. If you have the courage to listen to that second, quieter voice and follow it no matter the cost, leaving the outcome entirely to God, you choose the way of Vartan, and God only knows what unforeseen good may come of it, still having its impact a millennium and a half from now.
We fight this inner battle every day, with each hurdle and challenge we face, no matter how large or small. Every time we listen to the first voice and take the easy path, like Vasak, we corrupt ourselves and the world, making bad things worse. But when we listen to the second voice, we strengthen ourselves and if we act thus consistently, we soon find that we become capable of facing any difficulty, any peril, even death with courage. And by so doing, we hold open the possibility that by our honest actions and self-sacrifice, we can help to repair a broken world. This is what it means to pick up your cross and follow after Christ.[15]
Our forebears who survived the Genocide to come to this country had every reason in the world to abandon their faith and curse the God who, judging by all external appearances, had forsaken them. Many, in fact, did just that. But some fell on their knees, held the cross to their chest, and looked upwards, building this cathedral as a testament to their faith, in the name of the warrior saint who stays true despite all external calamities. They won the inner battle, clinging to their faith against despair and against all odds built a beautiful life in a strange, new world that soon became home to their children and grandchildren. Their chapter is now written and finished, but ours is still open. We stand here now the beneficiaries of their sacrifice, under the protection of that warrior saint, who wins the inner battle against the self. So, on this Feast of Sts. Vartanants, let us ponder what our lives could be like if each one of us always chose the way that Vartan chose, obeying that small voice within us that speaks the truth. What might we become if we did so? What might our nation become? What might the world become?
May the blessings of this Feast Day be on us all and may each one of us become the warrior saint who wins the inner battle.
[2] The episode I reflect on here and in the following paragraphs is found in the second part of Ghazar’s History. In the standard English edition, The History of Łazar Pʿarpecʿi, trans. by Robert W. Thomson (Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1991), see pp. 75–157, especially pp. 86–106.
Zohrab Center postdoctoral fellow and director, Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, to begin Spring 2022 lecture series at St. Nersess Seminary on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm by Zoom, Jan 20 – Feb 24.
An Overview of the Armenian Historical Tradition: Part II: Eleventh to Eighteenth Centuries
This two-part lecture series introduces the audience to the Armenian historical tradition, a rich and fascinating corpus of literature with texts produced continuously from the first century after the invention of the alphabet up until the modern period.
During Part I of this lecture series (offered in Fall 2021), we covered the Armenian histories written from the fifth to tenth centuries.
In Part II, we will look at histories beginning in the eleventh century, which respond to the Seljuk invasions and the many changes brought to Armenian life, and proceed up until the early modern period, when travel accounts covered the various diasporic and merchant colonies that were now spread across the globe.
