Author: Diana Dabaghian

CARROLLTON, Texas — An Armenian Orthodox church in Texas has been named U.S. Building of the Year by an international group of architects and engineers.

Saint Sarkis Armenian Church, located north of Dallas, was voted as the top American architectural work in 2022 by World-Architects, an online publisher with national and regional platforms representing architects, landscape architects, interior designers, engineers, lighting designers, manufacturers, and architectural photographers from over 50 countries. 

Spanning over 4.5 acres, the church site includes three separate structures: the church building and sanctuary, gym and youth center, and a hall for offices, classrooms and a kitchen.

Saint Sarkis held its first Sunday service on April 24, 2022, coinciding with the day of remembrance for the 1.5 million victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, a theme that figures prominently in the church’s design.

A reflecting pool in the courtyard of Saint Sarkis Armenian Church. | The Christian Post

In honor of the Genocide’s victims, on the walls of the sanctuary are engraved 1.5 million circular icons, each uniquely designed as a testimony to the lives that were lost. And when viewed from a distance, the icons blend seamlessly into a “Tree of Life” in the shape of a traditional Armenian cross that overhangs the glass doors leading into the sanctuary.

Designed by architect David Hotson, the sanctuary building hearkens back to the architecture of what is considered to be the world’s first Christian nation of Armenia, which adopted Christianity in the early third century.

As are all Armenian Orthodox churches, Saint Sarkis is modeled after the ancient church of Saint Hripsime, which was completed in 618 AD and is still standing in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Inside the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis is an altar with an image of a young Jesus sitting in the lap of Mary which is adorned with flowers and other artifacts in the tradition of Armenian Orthodox churches.

The altar of the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis Armenian Church | The Christian Post

Led by Fr. Ghevond Ajamian, Saint Sarkis began as a community of just a handful of families in the late 1970s and early 1980s, meeting at a private home before the house was converted into a church in November 1991.

With about 800 families now involved with the parish, the church is run by Ajamian and a parish council that consists of nine members voted on annually by the parishioners. Saint Sarkis serves as the parish home for all Armenians in North Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. 

After a groundbreaking ceremony in 2016, Saint Sarkis took about six years to build, Ajamian said, “mainly because we didn’t account for COVID, or supply chain issues, or just random mistakes.”

When asked about being named the U.S. Building of the Year, Ajamian said while he wasn’t personally impacted one way or the other, it’s definitely an honor to have that recognition.

“From what I have heard, it is a very big deal and everyone is excited about it,” he said.

Fr. Ghevond Ajamian inside the sanctuary at Saint Sarkis. | The Christian Post

Funded by entrepreneur Elie Akilian at an estimated cost of upwards of $20 million, the project took longer than anticipated, pushing the original consecration date back from February 2018 until it was finally completed in April 2022.

Under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in America and the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin, located in Armenia, Saint Sarkis adheres to the Nicaean Creed from the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. 

The church itself is named after a 4th-century Roman soldier who became a Christian and was later martyred for his faith.

But despite the church’s rich Christian heritage, being located in the “belt buckle of the Bible Belt,” Ajamian said, has its unique challenges, especially in a culture dominated by Baptist and nondenominational megachurches.

“It’s not so much, ‘Alright, you do incense,’ or ‘Oh, you celebrate Christmas on this day and I do it on this day,’” he said. “It's more like, ‘Do you preach the Gospel? Do you try and show Christ in your actions and do you bring people to Christ?’” 

“If you’re doing these kinds of things, then I think we’re all on the same page.”

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is emerging as the global face of the US support for democracy worldwide. Her trip to Armenia over the weekend in the wake of clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia follows one to Taiwan in August. In both trips, and in many other meetings and speeches, she has spoken up about the importance of defending democracy globally.

The Biden administration had promised that the US would be “back” under Joe Biden’s leadership, and it is Pelosi and her recent trips that have shown how the US can be “back” in its support for values like democracy.

In August, in Taiwan, she said that the US commitment to the country and its democracy was “ironclad.” Her trips to Taiwan and Armenia are important because in both cases these are small states that face major hurdles and those hurdles are linked to authoritarianism. The rise of authoritarian countries and their decision to work together against the US has threatened smaller states. Some small countries have simply joined the league of authoritarians.

At the meetings in Uzbekistan of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a group of authoritarians gathered around Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Iran joined the SCO last week, and Russia and China hobnobbed. China’s leader said new “color revolutions” must be prevented when he met with Putin. The message was clear: Russia and China, working with Turkey and Iran, will work to suppress and crush democracy and dissent worldwide.

Meanwhile, in Armenia, Pelosi said, “Democracy is a very fragile thing” in comments on September 18. She said that security and democracy go together. She added that the US would do everything to care for democracy in Armenia.

When Pelosi was in Taiwan she said that countries were facing “a choice between democracy and autocracy.” She said the same thing in Armenia. She also said it means a great deal to stand with democracies. “We want to be helpful in discreet ways.”

In Taiwan she had said, “America’s determination to preserve democracy, here in Taiwan and around the world, remains ironclad,” during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. In Armenia she quoted Benjamin Franklin’s comments about the need to have security and freedom. The point she was making is you need security to protect freedom, but you can’t just have security, you need freedom and democracy internally to maintain it.

Meanwhile, in Armenia, Pelosi said, “Democracy is a very fragile thing” in comments on September 18. She said that security and democracy go together. She added that the US would do everything to care for democracy in Armenia.

When Pelosi was in Taiwan she said that countries were facing “a choice between democracy and autocracy.” She said the same thing in Armenia. She also said it means a great deal to stand with democracies. “We want to be helpful in discreet ways.”

In Taiwan she had said, “America’s determination to preserve democracy, here in Taiwan and around the world, remains ironclad,” during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. In Armenia she quoted Benjamin Franklin’s comments about the need to have security and freedom. The point she was making is you need security to protect freedom, but you can’t just have security, you need freedom and democracy internally to maintain it.

PELOSI HAS EMERGED as an unlikely champion of democracy around the world in an era when many US politicians and organizations are afraid to disturb the status quo. Some of them have bad memories of the 1990s and 2000s, when the US became a kind of global policeman. They also know that anger about US meddling has led to the opposite effect the US intended in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, there are voices in the US, such as the Iran lobby and various figures, who describe themselves as “realists” or “pragmatists” and support a US foreign policy in which the US will work with Russia to “balance” China, or work with Turkey against Iran. Some have even suggested working with Iran against the Gulf states. Many of these voices seem to adore dictatorships. They prefer a “stable” authoritarian regime that can be used rather than a complex democracy.

The Middle East is an arena in which there appears to be little chance of new democracies emerging. There are countries with democratic institutions such as Israel, but there are many that have seen any struggle for democracy eroded. In some cases the countries that have supported extremism, such as Qatar or Turkey, have been US partners or allies. This is an ironic trend, where the US partner and ally will crush democracy, even as US leaders talk about US “values.”

For instance, the US backs the Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria in the fight against ISIS. The main country attacking the SDF and using drones to kill civilians in eastern Syria is NATO-member Turkey, a country that suppresses democracy. Turkey also has worked to stop democracies from joining NATO, threatening to veto Sweden and Finland’s applications.

Ankara was also at the SCO this month, hanging out with autocracies. This means the US has an unenviable record of being an ally of countries that do the most to destroy democracy. The trips by Pelosi show that the US can turn a corner on this trend of either legitimizing authoritarians or excusing and ignoring them for “realpolitik.”

Another trend that is being confronted is the tendency of some on the Right in the US to embrace authoritarians. For instance, the Hungarian system, and even Russia, have figured prominently in some right-wing magazines and talking points as inspirations for the Right. This shift in the American Right, from a movement that generally liked democratic institutions and opposed the breakdown of law and order, to ideologies inspired by authoritarians abroad, means that commitment to democracy spans a foreign and domestic struggle in the United States.

Pelosi’s decision to use shuttle diplomacy and travel to places where she sees democracy being threatened, to spread the message of US commitment is important. The question that many countries will ask, such as those who attended the SCO last week, is whether the US will really stand with Armenia, Taiwan and other countries.

Fresh clashes have broken out on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, it's been claimed.

Armenia's defence ministry claimed Azerbaijani forces had started "intensive bombardment" of its positions shortly after midnight towards several towns such as Goris and Sotk.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has claimed that 49 soldiers were killed.

Baku accused Armenia of "large-scale subversive acts" overnight, adding that Armenian fire had caused casualties in its ranks.

The Azerbaijan foreign ministry said its forces suffered unspecified casualties and that “definitive retaliatory measures were taken”.

Pashinyan held separate talks overnight with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and US diplomatic chief Antony Blinken.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, two rival ex-Soviet republics in the Caucasus, have clashed in two wars over the past three decades for control of the Nagorny Karabakh region, the last of which was in 2020.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday he had discussed "Armenian provocations" with Baku and called on Armenia to focus on peace negotiations.

In a statement, Russia said the matter should be resolved "exclusively through political and diplomatic means" and called on both sides to cease hostilities amid "extreme concern".

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for a halt to hostilities and "a return to the negotiating table".

The French Elysée Palace also said on Tuesday that it would bring the dispute to the United Nations Security Council.

Six weeks of fighting in the autumn of 2020 left more than 6,500 people dead and resulted in a ceasefire brokered by Russia.

As part of the deal, Armenia ceded parts of the territory it had controlled for decades and Moscow deployed some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to oversee the fragile truce.

Frequent shootings have been reported along their common border since the 2020 war. 

Last week, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of killing one of its soldiers in border clashes. In August, Baku said it had lost a soldier, and the Nagorno-Karabakh army reported that two of its soldiers had been killed and more than a dozen wounded.

Another bloody war in the early 1990s saw thousands killed on both sides and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. That war ended with a truce in 1994, although there has been sporadic violence since as the dispute remains unresolved.

https://www.euronews.com/2022/09/13/fresh-clashes-break-out-on-armenia-azerbaijan-border