In a talk at St. John Armenian Church of Milwaukee during its Feb. 27 observation of Vartanants, Dr. Levon Saryan provided the battle with its historical context, outlining the events that came before and after Avarayr.
The Armenian Church commemorates St. Sarkis the Warrior, his son Mardiros, and 14 faithful soldiers. This is a moveable feast that can occur between January 11 and February 16. Sarkis was a 4th century Roman soldier who became a Christian. He rose through the military ranks because of his valiant campaign on behalf of Emperor Constantine. With the accession of Emperor Julian…
Today is September 11, a day that brings back memories for so many of us. And my thoughts drift back to where I was all those years ago—at Vazgenyan Theological Seminary in Sevan, Armenia. The seminary was a place where we were constantly engaged in the pursuit of spiritual knowledge, constantly seeking a deeper understanding of God. It was a peaceful place, set apart from the noise and chaos of the world.
But on that day, on September 11, 2001, the peace of our sanctuary was shattered by news that seemed unimaginable. We gathered around the TV in shock. Planes crashing into buildings, innocent lives lost, families torn apart. I remember the silence that fell over us when …
Davit Hovhannes (Hovhannisian) was born on February 17, 1945, in Yerevan. He was the son of poet Hrachia Hovhannisian. He graduated from the Krupskaya high school in 1962 and then from the Faculty of Philology at Yerevan State University. He worked in Armenia’s periodical press and “ArmenFilm” studio and also lectured on history of ancient and foreign literature at several universities of Armenia. He was a member of the Writers’ Union of Armenia since 1975. In 1980-1990 he conducted the monthly literary program “Nork” at the first channel of Armenian TV, and the weekly program “Half Hour with Davit Hovhannes” in 2006-2008. He was the chair of the board of “Arevik” Publishing House. He translated works of Russian, Ukrainian, and American classical poets.
The author of around 25 poetry collections, including children’s literature, Hovhannes published his first poem in 1965 and his first collection, Crown of Songs, in 1974.
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