Author: Hagop Kamalian

CARROLLTON, Texas — An Armenian Orthodox church in Texas has been named U.S. Building of the Year by an international group of architects and engineers.

Saint Sarkis Armenian Church, located north of Dallas, was voted as the top American architectural work in 2022 by World-Architects, an online publisher with national and regional platforms representing architects, landscape architects, interior designers, engineers, lighting designers, manufacturers, and architectural photographers from over 50 countries. 

Spanning over 4.5 acres, the church site includes three separate structures: the church building and sanctuary, gym and youth center, and a hall for offices, classrooms and a kitchen.

Saint Sarkis held its first Sunday service on April 24, 2022, coinciding with the day of remembrance for the 1.5 million victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, a theme that figures prominently in the church’s design.

A reflecting pool in the courtyard of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church. | The Christian Post

In honor of the Genocide’s victims, on the walls of the sanctuary are engraved 1.5 million circular icons, each uniquely designed as a testimony to the lives that were lost. And when viewed from a distance, the icons blend seamlessly into a “Tree of Life” in the shape of a traditional Armenian cross that overhangs the glass doors leading into the sanctuary.

Designed by architect David Hotson, the sanctuary building hearkens back to the architecture of what is considered to be the world’s first Christian nation of Armenia, which adopted Christianity in the early third century.

As are all Armenian Orthodox churches, Saint Sarkis is modeled after the ancient church of Saint Hripsime, which was completed in 618 AD and is still standing in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Inside the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis is an altar with an image of a young Jesus sitting in the lap of Mary which is adorned with flowers and other artifacts in the tradition of Armenian Orthodox churches.

The altar of the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis Armenian Church | The Christian Post

Led by Fr. Ghevond Ajamian, Saint Sarkis began as a community of just a handful of families in the late 1970s and early 1980s, meeting at a private home before the house was converted into a church in November 1991.

With about 800 families now involved with the parish, the church is run by Ajamian and a parish council that consists of nine members voted on annually by the parishioners. Saint Sarkis serves as the parish home for all Armenians in North Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

After a groundbreaking ceremony in 2016, Saint Sarkis took about six years to build, Ajamian said, “mainly because we didn’t account for COVID, or supply chain issues, or just random mistakes.”

When asked about being named the U.S. Building of the Year, Ajamian said while he wasn’t personally impacted one way or the other, it’s definitely an honor to have that recognition.

“From what I have heard, it is a very big deal and everyone is excited about it,” he said.

Fr. Ghevond Ajamian inside the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis. | The Christian Post

Funded by entrepreneur Elie Akilian at an estimated cost of upwards of $20 million, the project took longer than anticipated, pushing the original consecration date back from February 2018 until it was finally completed in April 2022.

Under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America and the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin, located in Armenia, Saint Sarkis adheres to the Nicaean Creed from the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. 

The church itself is named after a 4th-century Roman soldier who became a Christian and was later martyred for his faith.

But despite the church’s rich Christian heritage, being located in the “belt buckle of the Bible Belt,” Ajamian said, has its unique challenges, especially in a culture dominated by Baptist and nondenominational megachurches.

“It’s not so much, ‘Alright, you do incense,’ or ‘Oh, you celebrate Christmas on this day and I do it on this day,’” he said. “It’s more like, ‘Do you preach the Gospel? Do you try and show Christ in your actions and do you bring people to Christ?’” 

“If you’re doing these kinds of things, then I think we’re all on the same page.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin talked to Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev and noted the importance of ensuring stability and security in the southern Caucasus region, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Tensions are high between Azerbaijan and neighbouring Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has a largely ethnic Armenian population but is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In 2020, Azerbaijan retook territory in and around the enclave after a war that ended in a Moscow-brokered ceasefire upheld by Russian peacekeepers. Both sides accuse each other of violations and Armenia now says Azerbaijan is blockading the only road into Nagorno-Karabakh, a charge Baku denies.

“The importance of consistent steps to ensure stability and security on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border was noted,” said a Kremlin readout of the call between Putin and Aliyev.

“In this context, it was reaffirmed that all the relevant agreements between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia at the highest level should be implemented unconditionally.”

Late last month Yerevan asked Putin to take a tougher line on Nagorno-Karabakh and for Russian peacekeepers to end what it called the blockade.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alistair Bell)

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 20, Azerbaijani firefighters accompanied by Russian peacekeepers arrived in the town of Lachin (Armenian name is Berdzor, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) after two residents of a village in the Lachin Corridor burned their houses before evacuation.

The territories in the Lachin Corridor will be handed over to Azerbaijan on August 25, the head of the Kashatag District of Nagorno-Karabakh reports. Local residents complain that they are given very little time to find new housing and evacuate.

After the 2020 war, more than 200 people lived in the community of Akhavno (Azerbaijani name is Zabukh, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) and up to 200 people lived in Berdzor (Azerbaijani name is Lachin, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”). On August 5, residents of those communities were told that they were to leave their houses by August 25, as the Lachin Corridor would be handed over to Azerbaijan. Later, the end date for the evacuation was announced by the authorities as August 20.

The President of Azerbaijan has stated that people “illegally settled” in Lachin and the villages of Zabukh and Sous should leave, and Azerbaijani citizens who left those places in the 1990s will settle there. The President of Azerbaijan has also emphasized that the specific date of the evacuation of the residents of the mentioned communities is not important to him.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 22, 2022 at 04:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
After Armenians set their houses on fire, Azeri fire-fighters arrived in Lachin, Karabakh: all Akhavno villagers decide to leave their houses, Realtors assess chances of forced migrants from Berdzor to acquire housing in Armenia.
Source: class=”gmail_default” st1yle=”font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small”>© Caucasian Knot