Armenian Apostolic Holy Church The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

On October 30, the international conference on “Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue: Mission of Religious Museums” was held in the Vatche and Tamar Manookian Library of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The conference was organized with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and through the efforts of the museums of the Mother See, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the WCC Armenia Interchurch Charitable Round Table Foundation. The conference is attended by museum experts, and artists from Armenia, Russia, Italy, Iran and Finland.

The conference opened with remarks by Rev. Fr. Asoghik Karapetyan, Director of Mother See Museums and Archives. Father Asoghik stated that to date, religious museums have not come together in any place or under the auspices of any institution, moreover, their collective voice is not heard in any way. Referring to the mission of religious museums, he specifically mentioned: “Religious museums, in our deepest conviction, are those purely spiritual sources, whose divine water flows through the bodies, improving and shaping the human being. And so the human recognizes his divine origin and title, realizes that “Every good and perfect gift descends from above, from The Father of lights”, through which he brings his own personal benefit to the establishment and maintenance of “on earth peace, good will toward men”. And, with all this, through their mission, the religious museums open their doors of divine culture to mankind, and tell him the truth. Indeed, when man realizes that he is the creation of divine culture, he will use his creating ability solely to create good, and spread goodness and love”. Father Asoghik also stressed that any religious  museum is called to be a burning light in intercultural and interreligious dialogue, confirming that today more than ever, cultural policy is more powerful and productive in international relations than any other means.

His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Head of the External Relations and Protocol Department of Mother See, welcomed the participants, conveying them the blessings and best wishes of the Catholicos of All Armenians. Welcome remarks were also made by Mr. Armen Amiryan, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia; Dr. Thomas Schrapel, Director of the KAS Regional Program in South Caucasus; Dr. Karen Nazaryan, Executive Director of WCC Armenia Round Table Foundation; and Ms. Ani Avagyan, President of ICOM National Committee of Armenian Museums.

On the first day of the Conference, reports were made by Mr. Vardan Asatryan, Head of the department of National minorities and religion (The Mission of Religions in the Past and today); Ms. Teresa Töntesi, Director of RIISA- Orthodox Church Museum in Finland (Stairway to Sanctity- A museum with a soul); Ms. Svetlana Viktorovna Nikolaeva, Deputy Director of the Sergiev Posad Museum-Preserve, Russia (Expositions and exhibitions of the museum as a reflection of the diversity of historical and cultural interrelations in society. From the experience of the Sergiev Posad State Historical and Art Museum-Reserve); Don Valerio Pennasso, Director of National Office for Ecclesiastic Cultural Heritage and Religious Buildings of the Episcopal Italian Conference (Religious museum as a cultural instrument of mediation and relation. The valorization of the patrimony of the churches in Italy); Mohammed Reza Heydari, Cultural attaché of IRI embassy in RA (Museum exhibitions towards the way of establishing peace among nations); and Ms. Yelena Nikolaeva, Chief of Church-Archaeological Museum at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy (Church-Archaeological Museum at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy: history and evolution outlook).

Following the session, the conference participants visited the Mother See museums, and attended the "New Names" young performers concert organized at the Ruben Sevak Museum of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The conference will also continue on October 31.

The following reports will be presented during the two sessions: “Assistance of religious cultures in the establishment of international peace and tolerance”, by Ms. Rima Varzhapetyan Feller, Head of the Jewish Community in Armenia; “State Museum for religion history as platform for multi-confessional dialogue”, byMs. Svetlana Nikolaeva, Head of the Orthodoxy Department of the State Museum of the History of Religion, St. Petersburg; and “The stories of the Passsion in the Armenian figurative culture. Development of a Christological theme in the treasures of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin”, by Ms. Rachele Zanone, Roma Tre University, Italy.