ARMENIAN CHURCH-DIOCESAN SCHOOL OPENS IN PYATIGORSK AFTER CENTENARY BREAK

PYATIGORSK, MARCH 23, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Almost after a
centenary break, a Sunday diocesan school for learning the Armenian
language, history, literature was opened on March 22, attached to the
Surb Sargis Armenian Apostolic Church in the city of
Pyatigorsk. According to the “Yerkramas” (country) newspaper of
Armenians of Russian, senior priest Aram Hounanian, the deputy primate
of the south diocese of Russia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
prior of the Surb Sargis Church implemented the anointment
ceremony. Ararat Gomtsian, the Consul General of the Republic of
Armenia to the RF Southern Federal Region (okrug); Eduard Kondian, the
Director of the executive directorate of the Stavropol regional
organization of the Armenians’ Union of Russia;

Georgi Safarov, the Deputy Chairman of the Pyatigorst
national-cultural self-government made welcome speeches at the solemn
opening of the school. A demonstrative lesson was held after the
opening ceremony. As of today, more than a hundred children study at
school who are divided into 3 groups: 7-11 years old, 12-15 and above
16. About 100 years ago as well a church-diocesan school functioned in
Pyatigorsk, but it was opened during the Soviet years, and the city
station for trasnfusing blood is at present placed in the building.