ARMENIANS BUILD FULL-TIME CHURCH IN SCOTTSDALE
By Ari Cohn, Tribune
East Valley Tribune, AZ
Nov 21 2006
North Scottsdale is a far cry from the Armenian Quarter in the Old
City of Jerusalem, where Jerry Avakian was born.
Avakian is part of a small but growing group of adherents in Scottsdale
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the world’s oldest Christian
churches. As parish council chairman, he’s leading his congregation
in building Arizona’s first full-time Armenian church, at 8849
E. Cholla St.
The congregation, which currently holds biweekly services at an
existing cultural center on the site, has about 100 members but is
slowly growing, Avakian said.
"Relative to other communities, perhaps that’s small, but it’s pretty
much in line with the Armenian community in the area," he said.
"We’re getting a lot more kids. It’s developing into a more mixed
community, so to speak."
The church relies on visiting clergy from California to conduct the
services, but is hoping to get a fulltime priest if Scottsdale approves
its request to build a new roughly 6,000-square-foot church, he said.
"Even if there was no growth, we’d be looking for a traditional place
to worship," Avakian said.
In 301 A.D., Armenia was the first country to establish Christianity
as its national religion. Services are conducted in Armenian, and
the faith differs somewhat from what is traditionally practiced in
the United States in its calendar, which places Christmas on Jan. 6,
Avakian said.
In the U.S., the Armenian population is centered in places like
Glendale, Calif., and Watertown, Mass., he said. When Avakian moved
to Scottsdale 30 years ago, the community here mainly comprised
second-generation Armenians.
Many were descendents of those who migrated out of what was Turkish
Armenia in early 1900s because of what came to be known as the
Armenian Genocide. During World War I, the Ottoman Turkish Empire
forcibly deported millions of Armenians to Syria and massacred untold
thousands. Turkey disputes the term "genocide," however.
"There is a very large number of Armenians that live outside of
Armenia. I would say every family has someone they’re related to who
left Turkish Armenia at that time," Avakian said.
Lately, he sees more immigration directly from Armenia and from
throughout the Middle East. Having a church and community in Scottsdale
could make it easier for others to relocate here, he said.
"I think the church is in fact an attraction," he said.
The proposed church would be built on a 5.5-acre site alongside
the congregation’s existing cultural center. It’s expected to have
a seating capacity for about 270 for religious services, weddings,
baptisms and funeral services.
Artin Knadjian, of AAK Architecture and Interiors, said his designs
were inspired by an ancient church in Armenia devoted to St. Hripsime.
"It happened to be one of my favorites," Knadjian said.
The building will hold true to religious and cultural traditions,
he said. For instance, the church will be crossshaped and capped by
a conical dome topping out at 45 feet.
"It does follow the tradition and design of the church wherein the
altar has to be on the east side of the building (facing Jerusalem)
and the entrance is on the west side," Knadjian said. "It’s a little
similar to the Romanesque style."
He said the exterior will be done in warm, desert browns and tans.
"It happens that the colors of ancient Armenia are similar to those
used in Arizona," Knadjian said. Robin Meinhart, the city’s planning
department spokeswoman, said the plans are expected to come up at a
future Development Review Board meeting. Avakian said the congregations
hopes to build early next year.
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