PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Karine Abalyan
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
May 22, 2009
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SHUSHI DANCE ENSEMBLE TO PERFORM AT THE CONSECRATION OF ST. VARTAN
CATHEDRAL’S NEW BRONZE ENTRY DOORS, ON MAY 31
The Shushi Armenian Dance Ensemble of St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
will perform at the consecration of the cathedral’s new bronze entry
doors on Sunday, May 31.
The cathedral’s new doors – a project more than 30 years in the making
– will be consecrated by Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
The day will begin with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 10:30
a.m. Services will be followed by a procession to the cathedral plaza
for the unveiling and consecration of the doors.
The Shushi Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Seta
Paskalian-Kantardjian, will perform after the consecration.
A reception and program will follow in the Haik and Alice Kavookjian
Hall, honoring benefactors who made the doors possible and recognizing
dignitaries and organizations who helped realize the Diocesan Complex.
Also, a special photo and art exhibit will be on display in the
adjacent Guild Hall, chronicling the fabrication of the doors. The
reception and program are open to the public.
The bronze doors depict in three-dimensional relief the baptism of
Armenia’s King Drtad III by St. Gregory the Illuminator. That
development marked Armenia’s conversion to Christianity, making it the
first nation in the world to do so.
Fundraising for the doors project began decades ago with efforts led
by the St. Vartan Cathedral Guild. Funds lay dormant for a while, as
the cathedral (and the community itself) turned its attention to other
matters. But recently, a sizable contribution from the Dadourian
family – descendants of one of the original benefactors of the
cathedral – allowed the project to move forward.
A committee comprised of cathedral dean Fr. Mardiros Chevian,
Fr. Garabed Kochakian, Yeretzgin Yefkin Megherian, and Michael
Haratunian designed the doors, conceived the artwork, and guided the
engineering. Fabricating the doors was a labor of love for Setrak
Agonian and his International Creative Metal firm.
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue, at 34th
Street, in New York City. For information on the consecration,
contact the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) at
(212) 686-0710.
–5/22/09
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PHOTO CAPTION
The Shushi Armenian Dance Ensemble of St. Vartan Cathedral will take
part in the consecration of the cathedral’s new bronze entry doors on
Sunday, May 31, in New York.
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