Photo: Natalia Starepravo
An exhibition dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Armenian Apostolic Church’s resumption in Ukraine was opened in Lviv. The presentation took place 16 December, in the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. The exhibition «VERADARDZ», which in Armenian means «returning», will be open constantly, presenting the heritage of the Armenian community in Lviv. Among the exhibits will be church attributes, relics and archeological excavations.
Before the opening of the project, a solemn Divine Liturgy was held, presided over by Bishop Markos Hovhannisyan. After the prayer, a new reliquary was consecrated, which houses the relics of three saints: Gregory the Illuminator, his son and Pope Clement.
«The Armenian Church has come a long way in witnessing the faith of Christ. Armenia became the first country to declare the Christian faith the state religion. Therefore, the Armenians did it not because of political motives, but because of their own faith. This jubilee is significant for the whole of Ukraine,» – said Ihor Burmylo, the archpriest of the parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Lviv Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Archpriest.
Sacred exhibits and utensils of the Armenian church were presented at the exhibition. Visitors can view manuscripts and photos from the activities of the Armenian community for 30 years on electronic media. Today, the originals of the manuscripts are kept in the Lviv National University library.
«We worked on the project for half a year. First of all, the exhibition was planned to be organized on the anniversary day – 28 November.,» said Father Karapet Garibyan, spiritual pastor of the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.
«There were various obstacles to holding this exhibition for us, because the date of resumption of the Apostolic Armenian Church fell on the quarantine period in Lviv. In addition, it was not easy to collect holy relics that came here from the corners of Armenia and Ukraine. The unique exhibits are the old and new reliquaries, which preserve the relics of saints who are revered in every Christian church,» – the abbot said.
In 1991, a significant event for the Armenians was the creation of a single diocese, the center of which is Lviv
We will add that the exhibition works on a permanent basis at the Armenian Cathedral. The relics will change, but some exhibits will be kept there continuously.
Natalia Starepravo, Photo by the author
Translated by Vitalii Holich
You can read a Ukrainian language version of this story here.
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