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Royal visit to Armenia highlights preservation of heritage
Published: Friday June 07, 2013
Prince Charles with Dr. Sarkissian after a visit to Geghard. Courtesy image
Yerevan - Two ancient cultures came together to celebrate tradition
and heritage when the Prince of Wales made an historic visit to
Armenia.
Prince Charles, who is the heir to Queen Elizabeth II, became the
first senior member of the British royal family to travel to Armenia.
His three-day visit was at the invitation of Dr Armen Sarkissian,
President of Yerevan My Love charitable foundation and former prime
minister of Armenia.
Prince Charles was in Armenia from May 28-30 to see the work of
Yerevan My Love in restoring part of the city's traditional
architectural heritage. The charity carries out "heritage-led
regeneration projects with high social impact programmes". It
restores historic buildings in Yerevan and adapts them for programmes
designed to help disadvantaged children and youth.
The Prince's first fist was to the famous Matenadaran library of
ancient manuscripts and documents in Yerevan to view part of its
priceless collection of works, including illustrate Bibles dating back
to the 13th Century. He was presented with a silver-bound copy of
Grigor Naregatsi's Book of Lamentations, one of Armenian literature's
most important texts, to commemorate his visit.
The Royal guest was also shown the institute's manuscript vault and
its climate-controlled storage facility that is vital to protecting
documents for future generations to study and appreciate their
cultural value and beauty.
Dr Sarkissian gave a presentation at the Matenadaran to the Prince and
assembled guests on the work of Yerevan My Love, saying that it wanted
to "encourage people that they have the right and the obligation to
fight for what you believe" and that heritage and tradition mattered
for the future.
Yerevan My Love is restoring historic buildings around St Hovhannes
Church in Yerevan's impoverished Kond neighbourhood, which will
provide a Mother and Child shelter, a nursery for disabled children
and a centre for community activities.
It is also restoring a series of buildings close to the city's St
Sarkis Church that will provide arts and crafts workshops, computer
classes, educational activities, a theatre and concert hall, an arts
gallery, and an open-air amphitheatre for the benefit of disadvantaged
families, particularly children.
Dr Sarkissian invited Lord Randle Siddeley, the British landscape
architect, to present the charity's ambitious plan to establish a Hye
Park in the capital, a National Park to unite Armenia's worldwide
diaspora with its homeland.
"These efforts are all about dreams and dreams coming true,"
Sarkissian said, adding that he harboured a dream to see young
Armenian students travelling to Scotland to take part in educational
programmes.
In this way Yerevan My Love is very similar to Dumfries House, a
heritage-led regeneration project in Scotland, which is being
developed by The Prince of Wales to not only reinvigorate the
surrounding area, but to create a lasting and creative legacy for many
years to come. Dr. Sarkissian has been an avid supporter of Dumfries
House.
"Years ago, I was inspired by Dumfries House and I can say today that
we have a much bigger dream of cooperation between Yerevan My Love,
Dumfries House, and Dilijan International School," said Sarkissian.
He then invited the founder of the Dilijian International School,
Rouben Vardanyan to make a present about the project.
Prince Charles paid a visit to President Serzh Sargsyan during his
stay in Yerevan.
The Prince saw many of Armenia's most important and famous sites,
including the Khor Virap monastery, which stands beneath the majestic
gaze of Mount Ararat, the resting place of Noah's Ark. The patron
saint of Armenia, St Gregory the Illuminator, was imprisoned at Khor
Virap for 14 years before he converted Armenia's King Trdat III to
Christianity in 301, making Armenia the first state to adopt
Christianity as its official religion.
He visit the 13th century monastery of Geghard. The architecturally
significant church, which is partially carved out of the mountain, is
a UNESC World Heritage Site. The Prince admired the singing of the
girls' choir in one of the chapels of the religious complex, famed for
its magnificent acoustics.
Near the city of Etchmiadzin, the Prince toured the ruins of the 7th
century circular church of Zvartnots, considered a gem of Armenian
architecture.
A visit with Armenia's president
A gala concert in celebration of British-Armenian charitable projects
took place at the Opera House in the presence of the President of
Armenia, The Prince of Wales, the Catholicos of All Armenian, invited
dignitaries and foreign ambassadors and international guests. The
State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, under the direction of young
conductor Sergey Smbatyan, performed a unique programme on this
special occasion. The National State Academic Choir of Armenia,
dancers from the Spendiarian Ballet Group and a host of distinguished
artists, such as cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, bass Barseg Tumanyan, and
baritone Gevorg Hakobyan, took part in the programme.
Following the concert, Dr Sarkissian hosted a formal banquet in honour
of the Prince, state officials, foreign dignitaries, benefactors and
guests.
Dr Sarkissian thanked all of the benefactors and supporters for their
generosity and expressed his personal gratitude to Prince Charles. "We
are deeply grateful to the Prince for his warm support of Yerevan My
Love and its work. We remain inspired by the example that he has set
and look forward to even deeper cooperation in our shared passion for
heritage-led regeneration."
The President of Armenia reminded guests that the friendship between
England and Armenia dated back to the Middle Ages.
"I was told that the Cilician Armenian King Leo II presided over the
wedding of Richard the Lionheart," President Sargsyan said. "I should
say that cooperation between our nations is always somehow established
through the attitude of the Armenian nation to the Royal Family."
Prince Charles told guests that it had been "the greatest joy to come
to Armenia for the first time", praising its tradition of hospitality
and the "unbelievable specialness of your food and your wine".
He continued: "I have always felt for immense suffering of the
Armenian people for so long and in so many different ways. And many of
us cannot but admire the way the Armenian people all around the world
are so remarkably resilient and somehow manage to make such immense
successes of their lives."
A visit to Etchmiadzin
On his final day in Armenia, Prince Charles travelled to Holy
Etchmiadzin, the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was
welcomed into the Mother Cathedral by His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and was shown the Altar of
Descent, directly beneath its main dome, where St Gregory the
Illuminator saw Christ strike the earth with a golden hammer to
signify the location of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Catholicos escorted Prince Charles, accompanied by Dr Armen
Sarkissian, to view the unique collection of sacred relics in the
cathedral's museum. Among the treasures he was shown were the Holy
Lance, which pierced the side of Christ, a wooden fragment from Noah's
Ark and a relic of the True Cross.
The Prince also stepped down into a chamber beneath the cathedral's
Holy Main Altar where remnants of the original Holy Altar from the
time of St Gregory the Illuminator were discovered during
archeological excavations.
Prince Charles watched a Christening of a child from Gyumri take place
at Etchmiadzin's new Baptistery and delighted visiting tourists as he
strolled through the grounds of Etchmiadzin to visit the new Vatche
and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Library.
The Prince was presented with a book of illustrated letters of the
Armenian alphabet to commemorate his visit to Etchmiadzin. He went on
to visit St Hripsime Church. A children's choir was singing beautiful
Armenian hymns while the Prince saw the tomb of St Hripsime in the
catacombs of the church.
The royal visit concluded against the background of Mount Ararat as
Prince Charles and his host Armen Sarkissian shook hands under the
sunny Armenian sky.
"It was a privilege to welcome the Prince of Wales on his historic
visit to Armenia. We were delighted that Prince Charles saw some of
our country's rich and beautiful heritage, and that he could feel the
appreciation of Armenians for his profound interest in our history and
culture," Dr Sarkissian said.
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?furl=/go/article/2013-06-07-royal-visit-to-armenia-highlights-preservation-of-heritage&pagewanted=all
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Published: Friday June 07, 2013
Prince Charles with Dr. Sarkissian after a visit to Geghard. Courtesy image
Yerevan - Two ancient cultures came together to celebrate tradition
and heritage when the Prince of Wales made an historic visit to
Armenia.
Prince Charles, who is the heir to Queen Elizabeth II, became the
first senior member of the British royal family to travel to Armenia.
His three-day visit was at the invitation of Dr Armen Sarkissian,
President of Yerevan My Love charitable foundation and former prime
minister of Armenia.
Prince Charles was in Armenia from May 28-30 to see the work of
Yerevan My Love in restoring part of the city's traditional
architectural heritage. The charity carries out "heritage-led
regeneration projects with high social impact programmes". It
restores historic buildings in Yerevan and adapts them for programmes
designed to help disadvantaged children and youth.
The Prince's first fist was to the famous Matenadaran library of
ancient manuscripts and documents in Yerevan to view part of its
priceless collection of works, including illustrate Bibles dating back
to the 13th Century. He was presented with a silver-bound copy of
Grigor Naregatsi's Book of Lamentations, one of Armenian literature's
most important texts, to commemorate his visit.
The Royal guest was also shown the institute's manuscript vault and
its climate-controlled storage facility that is vital to protecting
documents for future generations to study and appreciate their
cultural value and beauty.
Dr Sarkissian gave a presentation at the Matenadaran to the Prince and
assembled guests on the work of Yerevan My Love, saying that it wanted
to "encourage people that they have the right and the obligation to
fight for what you believe" and that heritage and tradition mattered
for the future.
Yerevan My Love is restoring historic buildings around St Hovhannes
Church in Yerevan's impoverished Kond neighbourhood, which will
provide a Mother and Child shelter, a nursery for disabled children
and a centre for community activities.
It is also restoring a series of buildings close to the city's St
Sarkis Church that will provide arts and crafts workshops, computer
classes, educational activities, a theatre and concert hall, an arts
gallery, and an open-air amphitheatre for the benefit of disadvantaged
families, particularly children.
Dr Sarkissian invited Lord Randle Siddeley, the British landscape
architect, to present the charity's ambitious plan to establish a Hye
Park in the capital, a National Park to unite Armenia's worldwide
diaspora with its homeland.
"These efforts are all about dreams and dreams coming true,"
Sarkissian said, adding that he harboured a dream to see young
Armenian students travelling to Scotland to take part in educational
programmes.
In this way Yerevan My Love is very similar to Dumfries House, a
heritage-led regeneration project in Scotland, which is being
developed by The Prince of Wales to not only reinvigorate the
surrounding area, but to create a lasting and creative legacy for many
years to come. Dr. Sarkissian has been an avid supporter of Dumfries
House.
"Years ago, I was inspired by Dumfries House and I can say today that
we have a much bigger dream of cooperation between Yerevan My Love,
Dumfries House, and Dilijan International School," said Sarkissian.
He then invited the founder of the Dilijian International School,
Rouben Vardanyan to make a present about the project.
Prince Charles paid a visit to President Serzh Sargsyan during his
stay in Yerevan.
The Prince saw many of Armenia's most important and famous sites,
including the Khor Virap monastery, which stands beneath the majestic
gaze of Mount Ararat, the resting place of Noah's Ark. The patron
saint of Armenia, St Gregory the Illuminator, was imprisoned at Khor
Virap for 14 years before he converted Armenia's King Trdat III to
Christianity in 301, making Armenia the first state to adopt
Christianity as its official religion.
He visit the 13th century monastery of Geghard. The architecturally
significant church, which is partially carved out of the mountain, is
a UNESC World Heritage Site. The Prince admired the singing of the
girls' choir in one of the chapels of the religious complex, famed for
its magnificent acoustics.
Near the city of Etchmiadzin, the Prince toured the ruins of the 7th
century circular church of Zvartnots, considered a gem of Armenian
architecture.
A visit with Armenia's president
A gala concert in celebration of British-Armenian charitable projects
took place at the Opera House in the presence of the President of
Armenia, The Prince of Wales, the Catholicos of All Armenian, invited
dignitaries and foreign ambassadors and international guests. The
State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, under the direction of young
conductor Sergey Smbatyan, performed a unique programme on this
special occasion. The National State Academic Choir of Armenia,
dancers from the Spendiarian Ballet Group and a host of distinguished
artists, such as cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, bass Barseg Tumanyan, and
baritone Gevorg Hakobyan, took part in the programme.
Following the concert, Dr Sarkissian hosted a formal banquet in honour
of the Prince, state officials, foreign dignitaries, benefactors and
guests.
Dr Sarkissian thanked all of the benefactors and supporters for their
generosity and expressed his personal gratitude to Prince Charles. "We
are deeply grateful to the Prince for his warm support of Yerevan My
Love and its work. We remain inspired by the example that he has set
and look forward to even deeper cooperation in our shared passion for
heritage-led regeneration."
The President of Armenia reminded guests that the friendship between
England and Armenia dated back to the Middle Ages.
"I was told that the Cilician Armenian King Leo II presided over the
wedding of Richard the Lionheart," President Sargsyan said. "I should
say that cooperation between our nations is always somehow established
through the attitude of the Armenian nation to the Royal Family."
Prince Charles told guests that it had been "the greatest joy to come
to Armenia for the first time", praising its tradition of hospitality
and the "unbelievable specialness of your food and your wine".
He continued: "I have always felt for immense suffering of the
Armenian people for so long and in so many different ways. And many of
us cannot but admire the way the Armenian people all around the world
are so remarkably resilient and somehow manage to make such immense
successes of their lives."
A visit to Etchmiadzin
On his final day in Armenia, Prince Charles travelled to Holy
Etchmiadzin, the Mother See of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He was
welcomed into the Mother Cathedral by His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and was shown the Altar of
Descent, directly beneath its main dome, where St Gregory the
Illuminator saw Christ strike the earth with a golden hammer to
signify the location of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Catholicos escorted Prince Charles, accompanied by Dr Armen
Sarkissian, to view the unique collection of sacred relics in the
cathedral's museum. Among the treasures he was shown were the Holy
Lance, which pierced the side of Christ, a wooden fragment from Noah's
Ark and a relic of the True Cross.
The Prince also stepped down into a chamber beneath the cathedral's
Holy Main Altar where remnants of the original Holy Altar from the
time of St Gregory the Illuminator were discovered during
archeological excavations.
Prince Charles watched a Christening of a child from Gyumri take place
at Etchmiadzin's new Baptistery and delighted visiting tourists as he
strolled through the grounds of Etchmiadzin to visit the new Vatche
and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Library.
The Prince was presented with a book of illustrated letters of the
Armenian alphabet to commemorate his visit to Etchmiadzin. He went on
to visit St Hripsime Church. A children's choir was singing beautiful
Armenian hymns while the Prince saw the tomb of St Hripsime in the
catacombs of the church.
The royal visit concluded against the background of Mount Ararat as
Prince Charles and his host Armen Sarkissian shook hands under the
sunny Armenian sky.
"It was a privilege to welcome the Prince of Wales on his historic
visit to Armenia. We were delighted that Prince Charles saw some of
our country's rich and beautiful heritage, and that he could feel the
appreciation of Armenians for his profound interest in our history and
culture," Dr Sarkissian said.
http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?furl=/go/article/2013-06-07-royal-visit-to-armenia-highlights-preservation-of-heritage&pagewanted=all
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress