A Moment of Silence in the Church of Saint Gayane in Etchmiadzin- The Grave of Archbishop Asoghik Ghazarian (Video)

By: Ara S. Ashjian
Yerevan, Armenia

Yesterday, I visited the Church of Saint Gayane, a 7th century Armenian Church in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), the religious center of Armenia. It is located within walking distance from the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. St. Gayane was built by Catholicos Ezra I in the year 630 and is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I had a moment of silence in respect of the memory of all prominent Armenian spiritual and secular figures buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Church. Daniel and Poghos Bek-Pirumians, heroes of Sardarabad battle against the Turkish Army in 1918, Samson Ter Poghosian, a national liberation movement combatant and the hero of the novel titled "Khent" (The Fool) authored by Raffi, the great novelist of Armenia, the great soprano Lusine Zakarian, the ‘voice of Armenia’ and others, catholicoses, archbishops, bishops and priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church were buried in the cemetery.

Archbishop Asoghik Ghazarian (1909-1978), the Primate of the Iraqi Armenian Diocese (1966-1978), was buried in this cemetery. Archbishop Ghazarian also served the Armenian Apostolic Church in the US, India, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Burma (Myanmar), Malaya and Australia.