On November 12, 2011, the 10th anniversary of St. Grigor Narekatsi church anointment was celebrated in Alaverdi.
Ceremonies started with the khachert (march with a cross towards the church) a lot of believers taking part in this march walked with crosses towards the church. Holy mass was celebrated in the church.
The core-stone putting ceremony of St. Grigor Narekatsi church took place on November 18, 2000, the day when 230th anniversary of Alaverdi copper smelter was celebrated. Gugarats Eparchy on behalf of His Grace Bishop Sepouh Chouljyan, different enterprises, companies, as well as inhabitants of Alaverdi also supported the building and furnishing of the church.
On November 11, 2001 conducted by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians and with the participation of thousands believers the church was anointed and began to serve as a church. It gathered thousands of believers and became the new center of Alaverdi’s spiritual and cultural life.
In the framework of celebration of the 10th anniversary of the church anointment, an offering was made in the yard of the church. Also, an art exhibition of ten painters from Alaverdi took place.
The day ended up with another present waiting for Alaverdi inhabitants: the “Ceasefire” of S. Khalatyan was performed in the cultural center of Alaverdi.
Congratulation message of the President of Vallex Group Valeri Mejlumyan on the 10th anniversary of St. Grigor Narekatsi church’s anointment.
Dear Alaverdi people
My cordial congratulations on the 10th anniversary of St. Grigor Narekatsi church anointment.
Last ten years were the years of prosperity and development for the spiritual life of Alaverdi and St. Grigor Narekatsi church’s role is huge in it. Church anointment newly charged the cultural atmosphere of the city.
New church became a new spiritual-cultural axis for Alaverdi: rallying round it became easier for Alaverdi people to overcome internal contradictions and separations and united they could undertake new projects and new achievements in the fields of spiritual and material culture.
There are a lot of historical-cultural monuments in our region: there are monasteries which are of a great human value such as Haghpat, Sanahin and Odzun. Unfortunately, in the Soviet times in the years of God-denial, people’s connection with those powerful spiritual centers was essentially impaired.
Because of ideological obstacles people used to avoid even talking about belief, nevertheless the light of Christianity never slaked in their souls.
St. Grigor Narekatsi church serves its mission from the very first day of its anointment. With the blessings of His Grace Bishop Sepouh Chouljyan, Primate of the Diocese of Gougark and with the efforts of the Pastor of the church Priest Father Mikayel Shaghoyan the light, bunched in the spirits of the people, shone again, good traditions of the past revived, Christian rituals and ceremonies became the inseparable part of Alaverdi’s everyday life and people’s connection with the historical spiritual centers got more consolidated.
Armenian apostolic St. Church has been the guard and crystallizer of our national self-determination for centuries, moral psychological support for people and purifier of customs.
St. Grigor Narekatsi church was faithful to that mission; today we are more united, more tolerant to each other and more confident. We must not only respect and be proud of eternal values created by our ancestors but also leave the trace of our generation in the history of national culture; we must try to create eternal values following the example of our ancestors, which will be inherited to generations.
God bless us
Valeri Mejlumyan
Chairman of Vallex group companies
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