ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL’S NEW BRONZE DOORS TO BE CONSECRATED IN NEW YORK
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
28.05.2009 19:22 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ St. Vartan cathedral’s new bronze entry doors to
be consecrated in New York on 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. 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 be converted.
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.