MONUMENT TO SAYAT NOVA OPENED IN TBILISI ON JUNE 7

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.06.2009 16:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ For more than a century, Tbilisi has been holding the
Rose Festival dedicated to Armenian poet and ashug (bard) Sayat Nova.

This year, the festival was celebrated on June 7, a week later than
usual. The ceremony was attended by Armenian and Georgian Foreign
Ministers. Within the frameworks of celebrations, a monument to the
poet was opened near Sourb Gevorg (St. George) Armenian church, not
far from his grave. The monument was created Gia Djapridze and Kakha
Koridze. An Armenian poet, ashug and master of love lyrics, Haroutyun
Sayadyan (pseudonym: Sayat Nova; 1712-95) was born in Tbilisi, in a
family of a poor immigrant from Aleppo. At age 20, he set out for a
trip and traveled for 7 years. As to what countries Haroutyun Sayadyan
visited remains a mystery. He returned to Tbilisi with the pseudonym
Sayat Nova which in the Hindu language meant "king of psalms" or "lord
of music" (according to Hovhannes Toumanyan). Rumors about the talented
musician were immediately spread all over the town. For more than
10 years, Sayat Nova was a palace musician and conductor of a palace
ensemble. At the end, he fell victim to noblemen’s intrigue. The king
ordered him to enter into religion. Sayat Nova was named Stepanos,
adopted san archimandrite and joined Haghpat Monastery’s fraternity
(on the Georgian border). He stayed there till the end of the war,
together with fierce eunuch Aga-Mohammed-khan from the Turkish Kadjara
royal house which ruled the Persian throne. In 1795, he fell under the
pressure of Aga-Mohammed-khanaza; the 83-year-old monk was found and
killed in Sourb Gevorg Armenian cathedral church. Sayat Nova was buried
below the northern wall of the church, the site where he was murdered.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress