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NEW ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL OPENS IN MOSCOW
The Moscow Times, Russia
Sept 17 2013
17 September 2013 | Issue 5215
By Ashley Perezluha
On Tuesday, a new cathedral and church complex of the Armenian
Apostolic Church was opened in Moscow on Trifonovskaya Ulitsa near
Marina Roshcha metro station. The church is the largest branch of
the Armenian Apostolic Church outside of Armenia.
The opening ceremony was attended by guests from diverse religious
communities such as Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church
and representatives of the board of Muftis of Russia, the Buddhist
Sangha and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.
"Rising from the heart of Russia, the church complex will be the
spiritual and cultural center in the lives of those who - regardless
of nationality - considers themselves a bearer of Christian and human
values," said Bishop Yezras Nersisyan, head of the New Nakhichevan
and Russian Diocese, said in a press release
The Armenian church complex was created from a community effort
that relied entirely on donations from benefactors, including
Samvel Karapetyan, the president of the Tashir group of companies;
Ruben Vardanyan, chairman of the managing board of Sberbank; Ruben
Grigoryan, president of Rutsog-Invest; and Vitaly Grigoryants,
president of Arch Limited.
"I believe in basic human values and the fact that projects like this
one bring together a large number of people from different spheres,
nationalities, cultures and ages," Ruben Vardanyan said. Samvel
Karapetyan, another benefactor of the church, commented: "We are
delighted that today we have the opportunity to promote the spiritual
education and the preservation of cultural values [in the Armenian
community]."
The new church is intended to serve Moscow's sizeable Armenian
community. While the official 2010 census recorded only slightly more
than 100,000 Armenians living in the capital, community members say
there may in fact be as many as half a million Armenians in the city.
The cathedral complex is only the fourth functioning Armenian
Apostolic church in the city of Moscow, though a number of churches
were destroyed or confiscated during the Soviet period.
The church complex has been under construction for eight years. In
2004, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II attended the laying of the
foundation of the church complex, which was blessed by the Catholicos
of All Armenians, Karekin II.
The church complex includes a main cathedral, a chapel of the Holy
Cross, an educational complex and a residential building for the head
of the Armenian church complex, as well as an underground church
museum and exhibition hall, a symbolic friendship spring monument
and memorial plates.
The main cathedral can hold more than a thousand people and has an
underground and aboveground parking area for up to 300 cars. The total
land area of the complex takes up 1.3 hectares, and the building area
encompasses 25 thousand square meters.
The first divine liturgy in the church complex will be held Sept. 22
in the cathedral at 24 Trifonovskaya Ulitsa. For more information,
see the website of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church at armenianchurch.ru.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/new-armenian-cathedral-opens-in-moscow/486215.html
From: A. Papazian
The Moscow Times, Russia
Sept 17 2013
17 September 2013 | Issue 5215
By Ashley Perezluha
On Tuesday, a new cathedral and church complex of the Armenian
Apostolic Church was opened in Moscow on Trifonovskaya Ulitsa near
Marina Roshcha metro station. The church is the largest branch of
the Armenian Apostolic Church outside of Armenia.
The opening ceremony was attended by guests from diverse religious
communities such as Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church
and representatives of the board of Muftis of Russia, the Buddhist
Sangha and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.
"Rising from the heart of Russia, the church complex will be the
spiritual and cultural center in the lives of those who - regardless
of nationality - considers themselves a bearer of Christian and human
values," said Bishop Yezras Nersisyan, head of the New Nakhichevan
and Russian Diocese, said in a press release
The Armenian church complex was created from a community effort
that relied entirely on donations from benefactors, including
Samvel Karapetyan, the president of the Tashir group of companies;
Ruben Vardanyan, chairman of the managing board of Sberbank; Ruben
Grigoryan, president of Rutsog-Invest; and Vitaly Grigoryants,
president of Arch Limited.
"I believe in basic human values and the fact that projects like this
one bring together a large number of people from different spheres,
nationalities, cultures and ages," Ruben Vardanyan said. Samvel
Karapetyan, another benefactor of the church, commented: "We are
delighted that today we have the opportunity to promote the spiritual
education and the preservation of cultural values [in the Armenian
community]."
The new church is intended to serve Moscow's sizeable Armenian
community. While the official 2010 census recorded only slightly more
than 100,000 Armenians living in the capital, community members say
there may in fact be as many as half a million Armenians in the city.
The cathedral complex is only the fourth functioning Armenian
Apostolic church in the city of Moscow, though a number of churches
were destroyed or confiscated during the Soviet period.
The church complex has been under construction for eight years. In
2004, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexei II attended the laying of the
foundation of the church complex, which was blessed by the Catholicos
of All Armenians, Karekin II.
The church complex includes a main cathedral, a chapel of the Holy
Cross, an educational complex and a residential building for the head
of the Armenian church complex, as well as an underground church
museum and exhibition hall, a symbolic friendship spring monument
and memorial plates.
The main cathedral can hold more than a thousand people and has an
underground and aboveground parking area for up to 300 cars. The total
land area of the complex takes up 1.3 hectares, and the building area
encompasses 25 thousand square meters.
The first divine liturgy in the church complex will be held Sept. 22
in the cathedral at 24 Trifonovskaya Ulitsa. For more information,
see the website of the Russian and New Nakhichevan Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church at armenianchurch.ru.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/new-armenian-cathedral-opens-in-moscow/486215.html
From: A. Papazian