PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version: nian.htm
"THE CULTURE OF CILICIAN ARMENIA" CONFERENCE EXAMINES CILICIAN
PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
The Conference on Cilician Armenia convening in Antelias continued its
discussions of the various aspects of Cilician culture, focusing on its
third day on the philosophy and theology of Cilician Armenia. Catholicos
Aram I attended all the sessions and made important observations.
Nicholas Koureyas chaired the first session with presentations by Seta
Dadoyan on "Cilicia: the philosophic tradition between East and West" and
Father Levon Zekiyan on "New horizons of pan-Christendom in Cilician
Theology."
Stella Vartanian ran the next session also dedicated to theology. The
speakers were Father Charles Renoux (The Armenian "Djashots" in the Cilician
period), Tamar Dasnabedian (Research on the sources of Saint Nerses
Lampronatsi’s reform) and Peter Kawi (The theology of the Kingdom in 13th
century Cilician Armenia).
The first afternoon session looked at the concept of "rights", examining the
state and understanding of law in Cilician Armenia. John Carswel chaired the
session which featured talks by Azad Bozoyan on "The Catholicosate of
Cilicia and the state in the 12th-14th centuries" and Armen Der Sdepanian on
"The importance of the chronology of the catholicoi and the kings for the
study of Cilician history."
The last two sessions of the day, the discussions focused on the "Holy
Cilician Relics", which had been miraculously rescued from the safe of the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Sis and had reached Antelias thanks to
the efforts of Catholicos Sahag II Khabayan and a number of brave Cilician
Brotherhood members. Chairwoman of the "Cilicia" Museum’s Committee, Dr.
Silivia Adjemian, chaired the session. Dikran Kouyoumdian talked about the
importance of the museum’s collection for the history of ritual-related
ironsmithing. Anna Balian talked about the ritualistic silver-works of the
Armenian and Greek Orthodox Churches during the Ottoman period.
At the end of the session, the Catholicos said a few words of praise in
honor of Silvia Adjemian, who had played an important role in the efforts to
organize the "Cilicia" museum and display the relics brought from Sis. His
Holiness presented to the chairwoman of the museum committee a copy of the
"Gospel of Partsrapert", identical to the one placed in the museum.
The 15th session was a continuation of the previous one but related more to
modern times. Vahan Der Ghevontian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Lebanon,
convened the session which looked at the efforts to restore the handwritten
manuscript heritage in the "Cilicia" museum and the Diocese of Aleppo, as
well as the old books found in the Catholicosate’s Library. The first topic
was jointly presented by Kayane Elyazian and Suzana Parseghian. Mihran
Minasian delivered the second topic.
At the end of each session the Pontiff shared his viewpoints with the
experts in light of the findings presented during the talks.
As in the previous two days, the conference participants attended the
evening service in the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral.
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View the photos here:
c/Photos/Photos82.htm
http://www.armenianorthodoxc hurch.org/v04/doc/Photos/Photos83.htm
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.