Pope Francis proclaims St. Gregory of Narek Doctor of Universal Church
12:14, 12 April, 2015
YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. At the course of the Divine Liturgy
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide offered by
Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica today, the leader of the Catholic
Church proclaimed St. Gregory of Narek the Doctor of the Universal
Church.
As reports “Armenpress”, Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the
Congregation for the Cause of Saints, stated that by his life and
teaching, St. Gregory of Narek preached a teaching of beauty and the
people appreciated the beauty of his words and his teaching.
Among other things, Cardinal Angelo Amato underscored: “One of the
leaders of the Oriental Church, St. Ephrem the Syrian, was proclaimed
the Doctor of the Universal Church 100 years ago. Today, we ask to
proclaim Doctor of the Universal Church another leader of the Oriental
Church – St. Gregory of Narek. His continuous popularity is connected
with his major work “The Book of Lamentations”, called “Narek” by the
Armenian people, which is considered to be his most popular work among
the Armenians.”
“St. Gregory of Narek’s thoughts and words can be compared with those
of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Illuminator. All the
theologians gave their positive assessment at the course of the
session of the Congregation for the Cause of Saints and signed the
declaration, by which St. Gregory of Narek will receive that honorable
title. All the Cardinals have also given their assent,” Cardinal
Angelo Amato concluded.
In addition, the Cardinal emphasized that this year marks the 100th
anniversary of a horrible evil the Armenian people was subjected to
and St. Greogry of Narek also came forth as a creator of hope and
peace amid this tragedy.
Grigor Narekatsi (951-1003) is a canonized saint. He was an Armenian
monk, poet, mystical philosopher and theologian, born into a family of
writers. His father, Khosrov, was an archbishop. He lost his mother
very early, so he was educated by his cousin, Anania of Narek, who was
the founder of the monastery and school of the village. Almost all of
his life he lived in the monasteries of Narek (in Greater Armenia, now
Turkey) where he taught at the monastic school. He is the author of
mystical interpretation on the Song of Songs (977) and numerous poetic
writings. Narekatsi’s poetry is deeply biblical and is penetrated with
images, themes and realities of sacred history, distinguished with
intimate, personal character. The mystical poem “Book of Lamentations”
(published in 1673 in Marseille) has been translated into many
languages and has played a significant role in the development of the
Armenian literary language.
For Narekatsi, peoples’ absolute goal in life should be to reach to
God, and to reach wherever human nature would unite with godly nature,
thus erasing the differences between God and men. As a result, the
difficulties of earthly life would disappear. According to him,
mankind’s assimilation with God is possible not by logic, but by
feelings.
Numerous miracles and traditions have been attributed to the saint and
perhaps that is why he is referred to as “the watchful angel in human
form”.
In 1984-1985, Alfred Schnittke composed Concerto for Mixed Chorus
singing verses from Gregory’s Book of Lamentations translated into
Russian by Naum Grebnev, according to the Russian edition Kniga
Skorbi, transl. by Naum Grebnev, Preface by Levon Mkrtchian, Sovetakan
Grokh, Yerevan, 1977.
The monastery of Narek was utterly destroyed in the 20th century after
the Armenian Genocide.
Born circa 950 to a family of scholarly churchmen, St. Gregory entered
Narek Monastery on the south-east shore of Lake Van at a young age.
Shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, Narek Monastery
was a thriving center of learning. These were the relatively quiet,
creative times before the Turkic and Mongol invasions that changed
Armenian life forever. Armenia was experiencing a renaissance in
literature, painting, architecture and theology, of which St. Gregory
was a leading figure. The Prayer Book is the work of his mature years.
He called it his last testament: “its letters like my body, its
message like my soul.” St. Gregory left this world in 1003, but his
voice continues to speak to us.
Written shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, the
prayers of St. Gregory of Narek have long been recognized as gems of
Christian literature. St. Gregory called his book an “encyclopedia of
prayer for all nations.” It was his hope that it would serve as a
guide to prayer by people of all stations around the world.
In 95 grace-filled prayers St. Gregory draws on the exquisite
potential of the Classical Armenian language to translate the pure
sighs of the broken and contrite heart into an offering of words
pleasing to God. The result is an edifice of faith for the ages,
unique in Christian literature for its rich imagery, its subtle
theology, its Biblical erudition, and the sincere immediacy of its
communication with God.