EXHIBITION "12 CAPITAL CITIES OF ARMENIA" OPENS IN PARIS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006

PARIS, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The exhibition "12 Capital Cities
of Armenia" opened at Conciergerie Hall in Paris on December 15
and will last until March 18. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, the opening ceremony was conducted by the
French Minister of Culture and Communication Renaud Donnedieu de
Vabres and the Armenian Ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandian. In
his opening address, the French minister of culture attached special
importance to the exhibition, considering it as one of the key
events of the Year of Armenia in France that provides the best idea
of Armenia’s rich history and civilization. Ambassador Nalbandian
said that the large number of Armenian capital cities reflects the
stormy and eventful history of the Armenian people that has preserved
its unique cultural legacy as the only time-dictated guideline over
centuries. Information about 12 capital cities of historical Armenia
(from Van to Artashat, from Tigranakert to Dvin, from Vagharshapat
to Ani, fron Sis to Yerevan), old and new photos, ornaments, national
clothes, old carpets and khachkars from the collections of the Yerevan
History Museum are on display at Conciergerie Hall covering an area of
about 1,200 square meters. La Conciergerie is located in the center
of Paris. In ancient times it was the residence of Roman rules, in
the 12-13th centuries it was re-built into a royal palace. Today it
is managed by France’s National Center of Monuments and open to the
public: about 300 thousand people visit it annually. The exhibition has
been organized by the French Ministry of Culture, the National Center
of Monuments, La Conciergerie, the Armenian embassy to France and the
Yerevan History Museum. Its authors are architect Narek Sargsian and
the head of the architecture department of the Institute of Arts of
the RA National Academy of Sciences Murad Hasratian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress