Celebration in the Mother See on the Feast of St. Vardan the Warrior and His Companions
05.02.2016
On February 4, under the presidency of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; a celebration on the occasion of the Feast Day of St.Vardan the Warrior and His Companions was held in the Events Auditorium of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary. The event was opened with the Lord’s Prayer and the hymns of the Republic of Armenia and the Gevorkian Seminary. Rev. Fr. Karekin Hambardzumyan, Dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, offered opening remarks.
The Dean of the Seminary stressed his appreciation that the seminary students and the students of the Yerevan State University have again gathered together, and for the first time they are joined by the students of the Komitas State Conservatory; and as well as students from other universities and the Terlemezyan college; soldiers, and youth. For them the heroic victory of Vardanants is not only a memorable historical path, but the creation of our present Homeland and the irreversible reality of the the formation and establishment of spiritual Armenians.
“What happened more than 15 centuries ago, on the shore of Tghmut; like a two-edged sword, is forever pinned to the life and history of Christians. Vardan, Karekin, Artak, Khoren and their comrades showed a new level of affirmation. Our Lord Jesus Christ never revealed His divinity to the apostles in simple accord, but with inquiries: “So, what do you think, who am I”? Centuries ago, before the Vardanank, the Armenians had already answered this question inside their souls.
In May of 451, the Armenians had a chance to make another affirmation, this time understanding its essence as the unbreakable unity of Armenian and Christian.
…Stand up, take your cross and follow me… It’s a familiar invitation to all of us, through which our Lord has outlined the precondition to follow Him through the path of victory”, said Father Karekin and expressed his wish that today Armenia also gives birth to Vardans and Ghevonds. On befhalf of the attendees, Father Karekin congratulated His Holiness on the occasion of his naming day, wishing him an unwavering joy in his mission and numerous happy days.
Mr. Ruben Markosyan, Vice-rector of the YSU students, alumni and public affairs and candidate of technical schiences, welcomed the members of the event.
“The feast of St. Vardan the Warrior is one of the Church calendar’s beloved feasts, which is also full of national aspects. It has been 7 years that we have been celebrating this feast in the Armenian spiritual center, with great pomp. During the Vardanants war, the moral victory was achieved at the cost of the blood of the martyrs, and is a symbol of our nation's identity. It sanctified the national-religious life and moral character of our people. Indeed, this feast is the demonstration of willing patriotism and spirit”, he stated in part.
Mr. Vahe Torosyan, a Gevorgyan Theological Seminary professor and candidate of historical sciences, gave a lecture on the heroic deeds of the valiant commanders. During the event, students from the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, Yerevan State University and Komitas State Conservatory performed spiritual and patriotic songs and poetry, dedicated to the mystery of the Vartanants.
At the conclusion, the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed his congratulations to the attendees.
Expressing his appreciation to the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, and the representatives of the Yerevan State University and Komitas State Conservatory, His Holiness congratulated everyone on the occasion of the great national feast of Vartanants and naming day.
Referring to the wonder of the Vartanants martyrdom, the Armenian Pontiff said: “Dear friends, today we joyfully celebrate the Feast of St. Vartan the Warrior and his companions, who as brave and patriotic soldiers have inspired generations to struggle for the sake of the freedom of the Homeland, our ancestors' faith and for the sake of the preservation of our spiritual heritage.
…It was faith and loyalty towards our Lord and our national sanctuaries that led the Vardanants martyrs; pushed into the struggle of life and death against a larger and powerful army.
…The Vardanank are sacred as they were martyred for their pure faith and for the defense of national and sacred sanctuaries. St. Vardan and his companions are an example of loyalty towards God, as they led a just war; looking to the faith captain, our Lord Jesus Christ, taking the cross and ignoring the fear and horror of death, they received the bright crown of the martyrdom for faith”.
Speaking on the examples of martyrdom throughout history, His Holiness noted that with its awe, the heroic battle of Vartanants opened a new page in the history of Christian martyrdom. He added that St. Vardan and his companions, facing the reality of apostasy, adopted another way: to bear witness to their faith and commitment towards Christ, by going down to the battlefield for freedom, justice and truth.
“The wonderment of St. Vardan does not only refer to the 1036 martyrs. The spirit of Vartanants has been passed on to all future generations. In the last century, the Vartanants spirit and Christian love shined in the character of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, who did not render their faith and national identity to distortion and manipulation, but retained the sanctity of their Christian faith and the consciousness of national identity.
St. Vardan the Warrior and his companions are not just a story or a memory for us, they are a living symbol of the struggle for good: a struggle for the sake of our centuries old and sacred sanctuaries. The Battle of Avarayr continues as long as there is the necessity to struggle for our Apostolic faith, our national identity, the vibrancy of our Holy Church and preservation of our sacred sanctuaries. Let us invest zealous and vigorous efforts in our efforts, to have success in our work and service.
Struggling for the faith and Homeland means to live with the spirit of Vardanants, connected to the contributions of our holy ancestors and sanctuaries with commitment and courage”, added the Catholicos of All Armenians. His Holiness expressed his wish that through the intercession of St. Vardan, the Lord grant peace to the whole world, to shed His graces on the whole Armenian nation and preserve all in the spirit of loyalty and bravery.
His Holiness offered his prayers to God, for the Armenian sons who are defending the Homeland with the brave spirit of Vardanants, so that not a single enemy bullet hits them and that they safely carry out their service.
