Author: Chatinian Lara

A1 Plus | 14:02:24 | 19-04-2004 | Social |
YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION
On Monday, Yerevan’s Architect General Narek Sargssyan, speaking at a news
conference, said Ancient Rome, the restaurant complex built in the center of
Armenian capital, was illegal construction.
He said Yerevan’s municipality intended to impose fines on all illegal
constructions or destroy them.
Sargssyan says the government’s second building and House of Artists’ Union
and Sevan hotel construction is under way now.
He also said pedestrian subways would be built in Baghramyan Avenue soon.

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
April 19, 2004
Musical Armenia Artists
Perform to sold-out Audience
NEW YORK, NY-The twenty-first Musical Armenia Concert took place in front of
an enthusiastic and sold-out audience at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
on Sunday afternoon, March 28, 2004. This year’s concert featured the
outstanding talents of the pianist Karine Poghosyan and the cellist Ani
Kalayjian. Ms. Kalayjian was accompanied by the gifted pianist Barbara
Podgurski.
The Musical Armenia concert series was established in 1982 by the
Armenian Prelacy and the Prelacy Ladies Guild, under the leadership of the
late Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian, who passed away suddenly in December 2003.
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, the Ladies Guild, and the Musical Armenia
Committee dedicated this year’s concert to Archbishop Mesrob’s memory, in
recognition of the many cultural programs that he conceived, and for his
dedication to Armenian culture and to young artists. Archbishop Mesrob was
very proud of the Musical Armenia program’s longevity and of the consistent
virtuosity of its artists.
Karine Poghosyan led off the concert with a spirited performance of
Beethoven’s Sonata No. 27. She followed that work with two short pieces by
Arno Babajanian, “Elegie” and “Dance of Vagarshapat.” The audience responded
warmly as Ms. Poghosyan captured the emotional depth of these two familiar
Armenian compositions. Her section of the program concluded with the Sonata
No. 2 by Rachmaninoff, which gave her the opportunity to showcase her
technical command and her interpretive approach to the Romantic repertoire.
Ani Kalayjian, accompanied by Barbara Podgurski, led off the second half
of the concert with a confident performance of Robert Schumann’s lyrical
“Stucke im Volkston.” They continued with two Armenian compositions, a
charming “Impromptu” by Aram Arutunian and the familiar “Krunk” by Komitas.
The communication between the performers was apparent in their command of
these pieces. The concert concluded with the Sonata No. 2 by the Czech
composer Bohuslav Martinu, a challenging composition that the performers
addressed with clarity and enthusiasm. Their efforts generated a strong
audience reaction. The three artists appeared together on stage at the end
of the concert and were once more saluted for their excellence.
Twenty-three-year-old Karine Poghosyan was born in Yerevan and began her
musical instruction at the Yerevan School of Fine Arts. Her studies at the
School culminated with a concert performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto
No. 1. She graduated with distinction in 1994 and entered the Romanos
Melikian Musical College to began studies with the renowned Vatche Umrshat.
In 1998, she graduated with high honors from the Melikian College and, that
same year, was awarded Second Prize (no First Prize was earned) at the Arno
Babajanian Second State Piano Competition. At that competition, Ms.
Poghosyan also received special recognition for “Best Concert Etude.”
Ms. Poghosyan relocated to the United States in October 1998 and, in
1999, began the bachelor of music program at California State University,
Northridge under Françoise Regnat. During her studies, she won the CSUN
Symphony Concerto Competition, was a semifinalist in the Hilton Head
International Piano Competition, received scholarship awards from the
Glendale Symphony Orchestra and the Etude Music Club, and, in October 2000,
performed the Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 with the CSUN Symphony Orchestra.
In 2001, Ms. Poghosyan won the New West Symphony Discovery Artist
competition and auditions for the Beverly Hills “Sundays at Two” Recital
Series, received the Jakob and Bronislaw Gimpel Memorial Award, and was
awarded a scholarship from the National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences. That same year, Ms. Poghosyan performed in the “Sundays at Two”
series in Beverly Hills, “Sundays at Two Previews” at Manhattan Beach, as
well as at a commemorative concert in recognition of September 11th tragedy.
In November 2002, she won Fourth Prize at the Los Angeles International
Liszt Piano Competition. Her 2003 performances included the Los Angeles
Liszt Competition “Winners’ Concert” at the Nixon Library, and the
International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City. In fall
2003, Ms. Poghosyan moved to New York City as a scholarship student in the
masters program at the Manhattan School of Music, under the direction of
Arkady Aronov.
Cellist Ani Kalayjian has appeared in concert both as a soloist and
chamber musician in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Her recent
performances include appearances at Weill Recital Hall, Steinway Hall, St.
Paul’s Chapel, Scandinavia House, and at Casalmaggiore and Mantova in Italy.
In April 2003, Ms. Kalayjian made her debut at Columbia University’s Miller
Theatre, where she performed the Saint-Saens cello concerto. She was also
selected to participate in Michael Tilson Thomas’ Aaron Copland workshop at
Carnegie Hall where she performed at Zankel and Weill Recital Halls in
November 2003.
Ms. Kalayjian is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, where she
was a student of Timothy Eddy. She has also studied with Orlando Cole, Aldo
Parisot, and Eleonore Schoenfeld, and has participated in master classes
with Steven Isserlis, Peter Wiley and other notable artists. In addition,
Ms. Kalayjian has studied chamber music with Pamela Frank, Carter Brey,
Colin Carr, Ida Kavafian, Michael Tree, Isidore Cohen, Laurence Lesser,
Jeffrey Kahane, Gilbert Kalish, and the Orion and Emerson string quartets.
Her festival appearances include concerts at Banff, Sarasota, International
Musician’s Seminar at Prussia Cove, Encore, Brevard, Oberlin at
Casalmaggiore, Quartet Program, Music at Menlo, and the New York String
Seminar. At Prussia Cove, she was featured in a BBC documentary playing in a
master class with Steven Isserlis. Currently, Ms. Kalayjian is pursuing her
masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester,
England, where she is a student of Ralph Kirshbaum.
New York native Barbara Podgurski holds a bachelor of music degree in
piano performance and a master of music degree in both piano performance and
theory from the Mannes College of Music. Her performance work has included
instruction with Martin Canin, Thomas Sauer and Fiorella Canin, and she has
studied music theory with Robert Cuckson and Carl Schachter.
Ms. Podgurski has performed as soloist and chamber musician in the
United States, Canada, and Europe. She has been featured in numerous
television and radio broadcasts, including a number of recent appearances on
WQXR’s Young Artists Showcase and on WNYC’s “Soundcheck.” Her collaborators
include Seymour Lipkin, Jacob Lateiner, Steven Isserlis, Pamela Frank, and
members of the Orion, Borromeo, and Brentano String Quartets. Ms. Podgurski’
s festival appearances include the Banff Arts Festival, Bowdoin Summer Music
Festival, and the Academie Franco-Americaine in Provence.
Ms. Podgurski has performed as soloist and collaborative pianist at Merkin
Hall, Steinway Hall, the Caramoor Center for the Arts, and at Yale
University. She is on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music, the Music
Conservatory of Westchester, and the Point Counterpoint Summer Chamber Music
Festival. Ms. Podgurski is currently in the DMA program at The CUNY Graduate
Center, where she is pursuing her studies with Martin Canin.
The Armenian Prelacy extends its thanks to Musical Armenia’s many
friends for their continued support of the program. Young artists with an
interest in being considered for future concerts in the series are
encouraged to contact the Prelacy.

Over 360 Russian and CIS citizens expected to leave Baghdad today
ITAR-TASS news agency
15 Apr 04

MOSCOW
A total of 365 members of staff of the Tekhpromeksport company will be
flown from Baghdad to Moscow by three special Emergencies Ministry
flights today. ITAR-TASS has learnt this from the Foreign Ministry in
connection with the start of the evacuation of Russian specialists and
CIS citizens. Those returning home include 152 Russian citizens, 172
Ukrainians, 39 Belarusians, one Armenian citizen and one person from
Tajikistan. “On Friday, 16 April, the evacuation measures will
continue,” the Foreign Ministry said.
[ITAR-TASS reported at 1311 gmt on 15 April that an Il-76 Emergencies
Ministry aircraft took off from Baghdad at 1240 gmt today with 116
people on board, including Russian and CIS citizens].

Armenian opposition leader says police hunting him, other activists
Noyan Tapan news agency
15 Apr 04

YEREVAN
“Stability is impossible in the country under [Armenian President]
Robert Kocharyan, and unfair elections are the reason for this,” a
member of the political council of the Republic [Anrapetutyun] Party
and former prime minister, Aram Sarkisyan, has told journalists. He
said that the opposition planned to continue rallies and
demonstrations.
As for the opposition’s future moves, Aram Sarkisyan said that the
authorities “have no other methods but to use force, and if they
weaken the use of force, the entire power pyramid will collapse”. He
said that the dictatorship is being established with the help of the
police.
In connection with the prosecutor-general’s decision to summon MPs to
the police, Aram Sarkisyan said that “it is impossible to intimidate
them by summoning or arresting them”. He added that the members of the
Republic Party, Gegam Arutyunyan, Vagarshak Arutyunyan and his brother
Artur Arutyunyan, Aramazd Zakaryan, Suren Surenyants and others are
still under arrest.
Aram Sarkisyan also said that after the events of the night of 13
April on Bagramyan Avenue, several police groups have been hunting
opposition leaders. The internal troops, who were on guard in the
trial of his brother, Armen Sarkisyan [convicted of organizing the
murder of journalist Tigran Nagdalyan], have been hunting him
personally, Aram Sarkisyan added.
As for the criminal case against opposition MP Smbat Ayvazyan, Aram
Sarkisyan said: “I was simply shocked by this case invented by the
law-enforcement bodies. It became clear after my brother’s case that
they are brilliant inventors. It would be better if they wrote fairy
tales”. According to Aram Sarkisyan, he has personally asked Ayvazyan
to refrain from attending the 16 April rally.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
April 14, 2004
___________________
ARMENIAN COMMUNITY REMEMBERS CHRIST’S LESSONS
By Jake Goshert
This Easter season, the Armenian community gathered at New York City’s St.
Vartan Cathedral to praise Jesus Christ: His life and sacrifice, His victory
over death — and the promise He holds out to all mankind.
“Whatever Jesus told to His disciples or the crowds around Him, it was not
only His word, but also His actions,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian,
Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), as he
officiated of a Washing of the Feet service on Holy Thursday, April 8, 2004.
“We received an example of how to be humble, how to respect each other as
human beings, how to be helpful to each other as creations of our Heavenly
Father.”
The Washing of the Feet service, a keystone of the Holy Week celebration,
re-enacts one of the last days of Christ’s earthly ministry. To teach
humility to His disciples, Christ washed the feet of each one.
Each year, the Primate washes the feet of 12 people, who stand in for the
Apostles. This year, the group was made up of deacons, sub-deacons,
acolytes, and altar servers ordained by Archbishop Barsamian.
“With love and devotion they serve on the altar,” the Primate said. “They
are wonderful examples of how one can serve the church, and through the
church, serve the community.”
Sub-deacon Justin Ajamian has been serving his parish, the St. Leon Church
of Fair Lawn, NJ, for five years. He is motivated not just by his faith,
but also by his commitment to the Armenian heritage. Serving the church, he
acknowledges, does mean you become a role model for others.
“When younger acolytes and kids see you walk by in your shabig, they look up
to you,” Ajamian said. “I don’t like the attention, but you do what the
Lord calls you to do.”
The altar servers agree that it is important for them to serve as role
models for younger children.
“They’re bombarded with all types of messages from TV, school, and friends,”
said Deacon Chris Kesici of the St. Stepanos Church of Elberon, NJ. “At
church they see something different: people who through prayer, worship, and
service express their love for God.”
Along with Ajamian and Kesici, other participants in the Washing of the Feet
service were: Dn. Anushavan Margaryan, Dn. Levon Kirakosyan, Dn. Manouel
Rakoubian, Dn. Nurhan Ezik, Dn. Levon Altiparmakian, and Sub-deacon Ardavazd
Arsenian (all from St. Vartan Cathedral); Dn. Sebuh Oscherician, Dn. Hrach
Kasaryan, and sub-deacon Jonathan Najarian (St. Leon Church); and Sub-deacon
Andrew Martaian (St. Thomas Church of Livingston, NJ).
HOLY WEEK CELEBRATION
St. Vartan Cathedral was alive with celebration throughout Holy Week and on
Easter, the holiest week in the Armenian Church calendar.
On Palm Sunday, April 4, 2004, Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of the cathedral,
celebrated a Divine Liturgy and a Turun-Patzek, or “Door-Opening”, Service.
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
On Holy Friday, April 9, the cathedral hosted a noontime service and an
evening service, the Order of the Entombment of the Lord, or Taghoom
Service. The Divine Liturgy on Great and Holy Saturday, April 10, was
celebrated by Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian, former Primate of England, with
music provided by the St. Vartan Cathedral Youth Choir, under the direction
of Maro Partamian.
The St. Vartan Cathedral Youth Choir is made up of students from the
Diocesan Khrimian Lyceum, and Diocesan Armenian Saturday schools of New York
and New Jersey. Students of the Diocesan Khrimian Lyceum also read from the
Scriptures on Holy Saturday’s services.
More than 1,500 faithful filled St. Vartan Cathedral for Easter services,
celebrated by Archbishop Barsamian and sung by the St. Vartan Cathedral
Choir under the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, with Florence
Avakian on the organ. The traditional Antasdan ceremony, or “Blessing of
the Fields,” followed on the cathedral plaza.
The overflow crowd on the plaza also took part in the “Releasing of Doves”
ceremony, during which young people, the Primate, and Armen Martirossian,
Armenia’s ambassador to the United Nations, released 12 doves into the sky,
symbolizing the Apostles spreading Christ’s message throughout the world.
The Easter celebrations were toped off by a luncheon, which included a
home-blessing service, a musical program by the a cappella group Zulal, and
the recognition of the various names associated with the holiday.
“As Christians, we must never forget that the story does not end with
Christ’s sacrifice and death, but with His resurrection. Our Lord had
something more to offer those He loved: not just death on the cross, but
something greater: the promise of eternal life with Him, in God’s Kingdom,”
the Primate said to the overflow crowd on Easter. “That is the gift He
holds out to us — the gift that is ours, if we will accept it. These past
weeks, many people have been deeply moved by what we owe to Jesus. But let
us not forget the gift He offers, which transformed death into hope: the
gift of Easter Sunday. That unshakable sense of hope is what truly
distinguishes us as Christians.”
— 4/13/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Twelve men ordained as deacons, sub-deacons, and altar
servers by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, line
up to take part in the Washing of the Feet service on Holy Thursday, April
8, 2004, at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Re-enacting Christ’s humility, Archbishop Barsamian
washes the feet of Stolebearer Andrew Martaian from the St. Thomas Church of
Tenafly, NJ, one of 12 men participating in the Washing of the Feet service
on Thursday, April 8, 2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): An overflow crowd of more than 1,500 people filled New
York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral for Easter services on Sunday, April 11,
2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (4): Parishioners kiss Archbishop Barsamian’s hand cross
during a procession through St. Vartan Cathedral on Easter Sunday, April 11,
2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (5): Armenians line up to receive communion from one of the
three altars used to accommodate the overflow crowd of worshipers on Easter
Sunday, April 11, 2004, at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral.
PHOTO CAPTION (6): Archbishop Barsamian performs the traditional Antasdan
ceremony, or “Blessing of the Fields,” on the plaza of St. Vartan Cathedral
on Sunday, April 11, 2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (7): Doves are released from St. Vartan Cathedral on Easter
Sunday to symbolize the 12 Apostles of Christ evangelizing the globe.
(Photo JK Hovhannes)
PHOTO CAPTION (8): Worshipers line up at New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral to
take home blessed butter, following the “Washing of the Feet” service on
Holy Thursday, April 8, 2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (9): The Armenian a cappella group Zulal performs during the
Easter luncheon at New York City’s St. Vartan Cathedral on April 11, 2004.
(Photo JK Hovhannes)
# # #

The Moscow Times
Putin confident in continuing stability in Armenia
Interfax. Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2004, 10:34 PM Moscow Time
MOSCOW. April 14 (Interfax) – President Vladimir Putin and Armenian
President Robert Kocharian discussed pressing issues in bilateral relations
during a Wednesday telephone conversation, the Kremlin press service
reported.
At Putin’s request Kocharian shared his opinion of the recent developments
in Yerevan that caused in an upsurge in domestic tension.
Putin expressed confidence that the leadership of friendly Armenia would use
the existing potential of democratic reforms to maintain stability, law and
order.
The two presidents also discussed further Russian-American contacts at
various levels, including the very highest

OPPOSITION RALLY PARTICIPANTS MAKE FOR PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
YEREVAN, APRIL 12. ARMINFO. The participants in the
opposition-organized rally have begun their procession to the
presidential residence. The procession is led by the opposition
parliamentarians. Speaking at the rally, Chairman of the “National
Unity” party Artashes Geghamyan urged the coalition-forming parties,
the “Law-Governed Country” party, Republican Party of Armenia and
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) “Dashnaktsutyun” “to get rid
of slavery and join the people.’ In his turn, Chairman of the
opposition bloc “Justice” Stepan Demirchian stated that the
authorities missed the chance of leaving in a civilized manner, and it
is the people that has a decisive word. Any provocation will meet a
resolute rebuff, Demirchian said.
Barbed wire was stretched in front of the National Assembly in
Baghramyan Avenue, and police cordons are behind it. The action
participants reached the “barrier” and stopped.

ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP TO PROVOKE CLASHES AMONG PEOPLE TO KEEP POWER

YEREVAN, APRIL 10. ARMINFO. Today the question of confidence referendum in
Armenia is almost exhausted, the chairman of the political council of
the Republic party Albert Bazeyan said during today’s sit down strike.
The coalition parties and Pres. Kocharyan were obliged to ensure the
conduct of the referendum within a year but did not do that. Now the
opposition’s only demand is Kocharyan’s resignation. For this purpose
the opposition is going to hold rallies, processions and strikes all
over Armenia up to civil disobedience.
“We don’t want to fight with the government or provoke clashes among
civilians. The government will do it itself to keep its power.” Dozens
of opposition members have already been arrested. Their flats have
been searched. The opposition has informed human rights and
international organizations of the arrests. For example, MP Viktor
Dallakyan was released only after OSCE Yerevan Office director
Vladimir Pryakhin had met with Armenia’s Prosecutor General. The
arrests will give no results as this is a nationwide struggle and the
government cannot arrest everybody.
Justice bloc leader Stepan Demirtchyan, MP from Justice faction Tatul
Manaseryan, representative of People’ Party Stepan Zakaryan, member of
the political council of the Republic party Artak Zeynalyan and some
other opposition members joined the strikers but not for long.

Opening a Byzantine Door to the Divine;
New York Exhibit Highlights the Exalted Role of Iconographic Art in Eastern
Orthodox Culture
BY Bill Broadway, Washington Post Staff Writer
The Washington Post
April 10, 2004 Saturday
Many people know little of Eastern Orthodox Christian teachings yet
recognize the colorful human figures that adorn the walls, floors and
ceilings of Orthodox churches and peer hauntingly from painted blocks
of wood in museums and magazines.
Those images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Apostles and saints are
meant to show the religious figures as they looked, or might have
looked, when they walked the Earth, and to bring the viewer into
communion with them. The hoped-for result is transcendence of time and
place to an encounter with spiritual truths.
“Icons in their purest form are a way to contemplate the divine,” said
Helen C. Evans, curator of a monumental show on Orthodox iconography
at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
“Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)” presents more than 350 works
from the last years of Byzantine culture, including frescoes, coins,
jewelry, metalwork, manuscripts, textiles and mosaics. Many of them
never have been shown outside the churches and monasteries where they
have been housed for centuries as part of the communities’ liturgical
and contemplative life.
The exhibition’s opening two weeks ago was timely, given this year’s
coincidence of Easter celebrations on Eastern Orthodox and Western
calendars. Most Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter tomorrow, as do
Roman Catholics and Protestants. But Orthodox churches — more than a
dozen exist worldwide, including Greek, Russian, Armenian and Coptic
— calculate their liturgical calendar differently, often celebrating
Easter a week to a month later than Western Christians.
Among the exhibition’s vast offerings, a few images stand out as
instructive introductions to Orthodox liturgy and theology, especially
as they relate to Jesus’s Passion and Resurrection.
Western depictions of the Resurrection typically show Jesus rising
from the tomb, appearing before His disciples or ascending to
heaven. Orthodox paintings and mosaics most often show Jesus
descending to the netherworld to stomp on the gates of hell and
liberate Adam and Eve. Sometimes, for good measure, he bashes Satan in
the head with his cross.
Such images are based on the “harrowing of hell,” a non-biblical but
widely held Christian belief (East and West) that Jesus journeyed to
hell after his crucifixion but before his ascent to heaven. By
rescuing humanity’s parents, who have fallen in original sin, Jesus
demonstrates his victory over death and the salvation of mankind.
One of the show’s largest and most significant works is a 13th-century
wood-and-gold icon with the crucifixion on one side and the descent
into hell — what Orthodox Christians call the anastasis — on the
other, Evans said in a telephone interview. The 21/4-by-4-foot icon
never has been shown outside its home, the Holy Monastery of
St. Catherine in Egypt.
The 6th-century Greek Orthodox monastery is at the base of the
mountain that many believe to be Mount Sinai, where Moses saw the
burning bush and later received the Ten Commandments. It is the
world’s oldest continuously active monastery and one of the oldest
Christian pilgrimage sites. The monastery owns thousands of
manuscripts and icons, most donated over the centuries by various
pilgrims, including Crusaders, kings and popes.
The icon includes Latin as well as Greek inscriptions — a rarity on
Eastern Orthodox icons.
The Latin suggests that the icon might have been created by someone
from Rome, a Crusader perhaps, or fashioned at St. Catherine’s, Evans
said. Whatever the icon’s origin, the two languages suggest an
ecumenical accord at Sinai 200 years after the patriarchs in Rome and
Constantinople excommunicated each other and their realms began waging
wars over land and theology.
The icon is one of the earliest examples of use of the mandorla, a
motif in which spiky rays emanate from Jesus’s head, Evans said. It’s
the artist’s effort to depict the bright spiritual form that Jesus
took during the Transfiguration, an event described in the Gospels in
which Jesus meets with Moses and Elijah on a mountaintop. Orthodox
iconographers combine the Transfiguration with the descent into hell
to demonstrate the blinding light of salvation, Evans said. And this
particular icon could be tied to a mystical movement that some think
originated at the Sinai monastery.
The Hesychast movement, as it was called, held that a believer,
through controlled breathing and repetitive prayer — much like saying
a mantra during Buddhist meditation — could perceive the divine light
that shone on Jesus during the Transfiguration.
The practice was debated widely in the East and rejected by the West,
Evans said. The East, in turn, refused to accept a belief that later
became doctrine among Roman Catholics: that Mary was physically taken
into heaven after her death.
Orthodox theology doesn’t allow for what Catholics call the
Assumption. Instead, it states that Mary never died but rather fell
into a deep sleep and that Jesus took her soul to heaven. In a
typically Eastern representation of this event, the Dormition, another
icon from St. Catherine’s, shows Jesus standing behind Mary’s bier,
holding her soul in the form of a baby.
The Metropolitan has several examples, on loan from other churches or
monasteries, of what Evans calls “the great images of Easter.” These
large textiles, called epitaphia (epitaphios in the singular form),
are large, embroidered images of the dead Christ that are carried in
processionals on Holy Friday and placed on a carved representation of
the tomb. Most of them depict the incumbent body of Jesus on a stone
slab, but a 14th-century epitaphios in the exhibition shows Jesus
lying in a sea of stars surrounded by seraphim and other celestial
beings.
Also included in the exhibition is an example of the Mandylion, an
image of Jesus believed to have been miraculously impressed on a cloth
placed over the face of the crucified Jesus, created, like the Shroud
of Turin, “without aid of human hands,” the tradition goes.
That image appears as a wood icon, but it is said to replicate the
original cloth image sent by Jesus to the Armenian king of Edessa. In
keeping with Byzantine tradition, even copies of copies, if carefully
created, carry the same spiritual power as the original.
“Few will visit it here expecting to see the very form of the face of
God,” Annemarie Weyl Carr, professor of art history at Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, writes in the exhibition
catalogue. “But many will search it earnestly to see what was seen as
the face of God.”
“Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)” continues through July 4 at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For an overview, including a virtual
tour of the Monastery of St. Catherine, go to or
call 212-535-7710.

WHOLE NATION SHOULD FIGHT AGAINST WITNESSES OF JEHOVAH
Arminfo, Yerevan
8.4.2004
YEREVAN, APRIL 7. ARMINFO. The whole nation should fight against the
religious sect “Witnesses of Jehovah” who tear down the national ideology in
Armenia. Leader of the party “Mek azg” Gor Tamazian declared during the
press conference in Yerevan.
Referring to official data, he informed that there are about 20,000
representatives of this sect, though according to non-official data their
number reaches 70,000. Armenia ranks the second among the CIS countries
regarding the number of registered representatives of the sect “Witnesses of
Jehovah”, the leader of the party mentioned. Tamazian stressed that the
actions of this sect and their agitation negatively influences the
spirituality and mentality of involved persons.
State bodies and the Armenian Apostolic Church show inactivity in the issue
of prohibition of the activities of this sect and other sects which act in
the country. Tamazian declared that on behalf of the party and Armenian
Nationalist front appeals the wide society and representatives of the of the
power to amalgamate in the joint struggle and legally to defend the country
from “false” spirituality and sectarianism. Tamazian mentioned that on Apr
18 the members of the parties, which form the Armenian nationalist front,
will organized a procession along the streets of the capital with slogans
against the sectarianism, in particular, against the official registration
of the sect “Witnesses of Jehovah”.