LRAPER Church Bulletin
Contact: Deacon Vagarsag Seropyan
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Istanbul
T: +90 (212) 517-0970
F: +90 (212) 516-4833
[email protected]
THE PATRIARCH MEETS WITH THE ARMENIAN NATIONAL BALLET
On Tuesday, 14 June 2005, in the garden of the Patriarchate, His Beatitude
Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey, received members
of the Armenian National Ballet, plus Dr. Gagik Manasyan, representing the
Minister of Culture of the Armenian Republic, and Gamo Hovhannisyan,
Director of the National Theater.
Also present were Yeprem Baghyan, Chairman of the Parish Council of the Holy
Mother-of-God Patriarchal Church; Sinayir Yildizyan, Headmaster of the
Bezciyan Parish School in Kumkapi; and several teachers.
After His Beatitude the Patriarch welcomed the guests, he thanked them on
behalf of Armenians in Turkey for their performance of Aram Khachaturyan’s
Gayane ballet on 13 June in the Ataturk Cultural Center.
The Patriarch said, `Any cultural activity brought to Istanbul from Armenia
not only helps dialogue and mutual understanding between the two countries
but also enlivens the traditional and cultural values of Istanbul
Armenians.’
During the traditional offering of coffee and sour cherry liqueur, there was
warm and lively conversation between the Patriarch and members of the ballet
group. His Beatitude answered questions about the situation of Armenians in
Istanbul today, the history and present condition of the Patriarchate, and
other basic issues.