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ANTELIAS: Conference On The Culture of Cilician Armenia Concludes

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  • ANTELIAS: Conference On The Culture of Cilician Armenia Concludes

    PRESS RELEASE
    Catholicosate of Cilicia
    Communication and Information Department
    Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
    Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
    Fax: (04) 419724
    E- mail: [email protected]
    Web: http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/

    PO Box 70 317
    Antelias-Lebanon

    Armenian version: http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/doc/Arme nian.htm

    THE CONFERENCE ON THE CULTURE OF CILICIAN ARMENIA
    CONCLUDES IN ANTELIAS

    CATHOLICOS ARAM I REASSURES THE DEDICATION OF
    THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA TOWARDS ARMENOLOGY

    The last four days became historical and enriching days for the
    Catholicosate of Cilicia and for the field of Armenian studies. The
    international conference on "The Culture of Cilician Armenia" which kicked
    off in Antelias on January 14 concluded its activities yesterday with
    Catholicos Aram I's concluding remarks and blessings.

    The Catholicos presided over the final session, which was dedicated to
    general discussions and the future projects of the participating experts of
    Armenology. The session also provided a platform for a general assessment of
    the conference. The attendants emphasized the scientific productivity of the
    sessions. They agreed that the discussions and exchange of ideas flowing
    >From the presentations opened new intellectual horizons.

    Having attended all the sessions of the conference and said his concluding
    remarks at the end of each, the Catholicos expressed his overall opinion in
    his Pontifical address. The Pontiff beautifully compiled and summarized the
    main points made during the presentations dedicated to various aspects of
    the culture of this rich period in Armenian history.

    The director of the Mashdots Library in Yerevan, Hratchia Tamrazian, chaired
    the concluding session of the conference. He expressed his gratitude to His
    Holiness Aram I for this unique venture. Bishop Nareg Alemezian, who was a
    member of the conference's organizing committee, also thanked all the
    participants and his colleagues for their efforts and contribution.

    His Holiness once more emphasized the leading role of the Catholicosate of
    Cilicia in driving to new levels research on all fields within Armenology
    and the Armenian culture. He praised everyone for their contribution and the
    efforts of the organizing committee headed by Bishop Alemezian. The
    Catholicos also commended the management and staff of the Mashdots Library
    in Yerevan. He expressed his great praise for the Armenian Affairs
    Department of the Gulbenkian Foundation and its director Dr. Zaven Yegavian,
    whose efforts have led to important contributions by the foundation in
    spreading Armenian cultural values.

    Commending the Armenia-based intellectuals for their active participation,
    the Pontiff said: "For us, there is no "you and us". What is yours is also
    ours and what is ours is also yours. We should cooperate with the vision of
    one entity in researching our nation's collective richness- our values."

    Speaking about the contribution of the Armenian Church to Armenology, the
    Catholicos said: "From ancient till present times, Armenology has been an
    important field for our church. Our church has considered Armenology as one
    of the most basic areas of its mission of faith, because for our church
    there are no dividing lines between faith and culture. This is how the
    Catholicosate of Cilicia has functioned and continues to function.
    Therefore, Armenology continues to be an important field for our Holy See.
    This conference came to re-emphasize our obligation in this direction and to
    say that we are obliged to continue organizing such meetings. We took a step
    further in this respect in the last few days." The Armenian Spiritual Leader
    offered special praise to the foreign Armenologists, considering that their
    work in this area transforms them to Armenians to a certain extent. "Due to
    your interest towards our culture and history, you also are Armenians for
    us," he said.

    In the last section of his remarks, the Pontiff explained his viewpoints
    with respect to future conferences with due attention to the previously
    expressed opinions by the participants. The widespread use of technology,
    the publication of sources by Armenology institutes and the prospects for
    researching the unknown period extending between the fall of the Cilician
    Kingdom and the 20th century raised the interest of all.

    The last day's sessions were dedicated to the arts developed in Cilician
    Armenia as follows. During the morning session (9:00-10:30 AM), Levon
    Tchoukaszian presented the topic "Introduction to the Cilician manuscripts
    and miniatures, and decorated initials of Toros Roslin and the art of
    Mediterranean area"; Lilit Zakarian's topic was entitles "Duccio or Roslin
    [analysis of a miniature]. Remon Kevorkian chaired this session. Azad
    Bozoyian chaired the following session, during which papers were presented
    by John Carswell (Toros Roslin and Jerusalem revisited) and Silvia Adjemian
    (The Cilician manuscripts in Aleppo).

    The first afternoon session featured presentations by Valentino Pace on
    "Artistic contacts between Italy and Cilicia in the wider frame of the
    Byzantine world" and Vartouhi Pambagian on "A historical Cilician
    embroidery." The session was convened by Armen-Claude Moutafian. The final
    session included a presentation by Michele Bacci on "Unpublished 14th
    century murals in the Armenian church of Famagusta."

    The concluding session of the conference indeed became a new beginning. The
    gathering of so many Armenian and foreign historians, Armenologists,
    philosophers and art experts in the Catholicosate of Cilicia was a
    historical event. Through his presence at all the sessions of the
    conference, analytical comments and concluding remarks at the end of each
    session, Catholicos Aram I became the driving force behind the conference.

    ##
    View the photos here:
    http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org/v04/do c/Photos/Photos86.htm
    http://www.armenianorthodoxc hurch.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos87.htm
    *****
    The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
    the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
    the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
    the Catholicosate, http://www.armenianorthodoxchurch.org The Cilician
    Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
    Antelias, Lebanon.
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