Event dedicated to St. Vardanants’ Day in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
28.02.2019
On February 28, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Gevorkian Seminary held the event dedicated to the Feast of St. Vardan the Captain and Companions. The event began with the Lord's Prayer, followed by the hymns of the Republic of Armenia and the Seminary. Inspector of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary, Rev. Fr. Archbishop Garegin Hambardzumyan made an opening speech. Speaking on the message of the day the Holy Father mentioned, “This traditional event, organized jointly with Yerevan State University, is to testify that Vardanants' feat has become a great opportunity today for us all to be renovated. National identity today can sometimes be viewed as a fact justified by the tradition. However, the history of our nation teaches us, that we have a responsibility towards the heroism of our ancestors. That responsibility makes the Armenians to live by Christian values, which clearly outlined the most visible ways of exercising human rights and liberty that are so dear to the modern young man. Let's remember that wars take place with the help of weapons, but people win. The spirit of guiding people and their followers leads to the victory.” The event was attended by members of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, students of Gevorkian Theological Seminary, students from different Armenian educational institutions and military personnel. At the end, the Holy Father conveyed his congratulations on behalf of those present to His Holiness Karekin II on the occasion of the Naming Day. Ruben Markosyan, Associate Professor, YSU Vice-rector on Students, Alumni and Public Affairs, welcomed the participants. Michael Malkhasyan, Associate Professor, lecturer at the Chair of Armenian History of the Yerevan State University History Department, made a speech about Vardanants' feat. The event featured spiritual and patriotic songs performed by the Choirs of Gevorkian Theological Seminary and Yerevan State University. Naregatsi Orchestra (Artistic Director Artem Khachatur) performed at the end of the event and the endless applause forced the Orchestra to present one more work. The matinee ended by the message and blessing of Nathan Archbishop Hovhannisyan, Director of External Relations and Communications Department of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The celebration ended with the "Saving" prayer.
