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Archbishop Khoren Kalfayan, also know by the literary surname of Nar Bey, was a well-known literary and public figure in the second half of the nineteenth century.
He was born in Constantinople on September 6, 1831. Along with his brother Ambrosius Kalfayan, he was sent to the convent of St. Lazarus of the Mekhitarist Congregation of Venice, where he received his education.
We live in a world that’s obsessed with appearances. Everywhere we turn, society places an immense value on how we look—our bodies, our clothes, the cars we drive, and even the homes we live in. People may judge us by what we wear, how much we’ve achieved, or how we present ourselves.
But God has a different perspective. The Bible tells us about God’s criteria for beauty: “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). It’s easy for people to overlook you, to discount you because you don’t fit their mold. But God sees your heart. He sees you when you choose to do the right thing, even when no one is watching. That’s what matters to God.
The Nicean Council called to convene by Emperor Constantine the Great upon the recommendation of church leaders. Constantine invited 1,800 bishops of the Christian Church within the vast Roman Empire. The number attending varies, but the number 318 has come to be the agreed official number of delegates.
The Armenian Church commemorates St. John the Forerunner and Job the Righteous. St. John the Forerunner, also known as John the Baptist (Hovhannes Mgrdich), is an important figure in the Gospels. He is recognized as the “forerunner” (garabed) to the Messiah.
Rechargeable batteries are nothing new. Way back in 1859, a brilliant French physicist named Gaston Plante came up with an early version of them. Now, imagine how surprised Plante would be if he could see our world today, a world so dependent on his invention. Batteries are essential to our modern life—they power our vehicles, devices, computers, children’s toys… These little boxes of energy keep things running smoothly, but they need to be recharged, or they’ll run down and die. And isn’t it always at the worst possible time?
This Sunday, September 1, the second Sunday after Assumption, is the feast of the Discovery of the Belt of the Theotokos. Because there are no relics of the Holy Mother’s earthly body (she was assumed into Heaven), her personal belongings became the object of devotion and veneration.
Tatevik Sazandarian was an operatic mezzo–soprano who became a well-known soloist at the Yerevan Opera Theater and then a longtime teacher at the Komitas Conservatory.
She was born in Khndzoresk, in Siunik, on August 20, 1916. She grew up in Baku, where she sang as a soloist in the school choir from the age of ten. She moved to Moscow in 1932 and sang in several amateur performances. She began performing in concerts in 1933 and studied at the musical and drama studios of the Armenian Cultural House of Moscow…
In his work “Christ,” Ivan Turgenev recounts a mysterious vision he had in December 1878, in which he found himself as a young boy in a ground-level church in his village. He describes the scene vividly: ancient icons lit by thin red candles, each surrounded by a rainbow crown of small flames. It was dark and dim in the church, filled with people, all village folks with blond heads, swaying like ripe wheat in the wind.
Suddenly, a man came and stood next to him. Though Turgenev didn’t turn to see him immediately, he felt it was Christ…
Our society is quick to judge. Just turn on the TV, scroll through social media, and you’ll see it everywhere—people tearing each other down, pointing fingers, casting blame. It’s almost like it’s become second nature to us. But that’s not the life God has called us to live.
God has called us to a higher standard. He’s called us to love, to build each other up, and to see the best in one another. That’s not always easy in a world where judgment is so prevalent, but it’s the path that leads to true peace, true joy, and true fulfillment.
Between the 1960s and 1980s, Bella Darbinian was at her peak as one of the most well-known singers of Armenia, with her fame firmly established in the Diaspora.
Bella Darbinian was born on February 10, 1936, in Kirovakan (nowadays Vanadzor). Her actual last name was Kuznetsova (her father was Russian and her mother Armenian). When she started her musical career, she considered more appropriate to use an Armenian name and used the straightforward translation of her surname (Russian kuznets = Armenian darbin-tarpin “blacksmith”).
