Carrollton now has a new, "one-of-a-kind" Armenian Orthodox church, according to community members.
Locals gathered 10 a.m., April 22 to consecrate the new Saint Sarkis Armenian Church located at 4421 Charles Street, in Carrollton.
“We are consecrating the church,” Hamlet Sarokhanian, a member of the church’s community said. “This is called Saint Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church. In Dallas-Fort Worth, there are around 10,000 Armenians, and we've had a church since the '80s, and we've always dreamed of having a sort of monumental complex that would serve not only as a place to pray, but as a place where many generations of Armenians can come together.”
The church was designed by New York architect David Hotson and his team. It marries traditional design of Armenian churches, historically built out of stone, and modern design and materials using concrete reinforced with fiberglass rebars and other more state-of-the-art interior design.
The church celebrated its first Sunday service on the following day, which coincided with the international Armenian Diaspora, memorializing the 1.5 million victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
The church’s façade also immortalized the lives lost by depicting 1.5 million unique icons that, together, create an image of a cross in Armenian medieval style.
"We have canonized the victims," Lusine Meeks, who is in charge of the godfathers and godmothers said. "They're sanctified. We no longer mourn them, but we want to remember and celebrate them."
In addition to the church, the complex has an event hall, athletic building and open space for special events like Armenia Fest slated for October.
The consecration was visited by international religious leaders who anointed the building as a holy place of worship. Bishops also anointed crosses around the nave representing the godfathers and godmothers who helped found the church.
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