International Symposium “Church and State in Cilician Armenia (Interior and Exterior Perspectives)”

27 May 2015

On May 27, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; an International Symposium “Church and State in Cilician Armenia (Interior and Exterior Perspectives)” was held in the Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Library. The Symposium was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Karekin I Hovsepian, Catholicos of Great House of Cilicia and Member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The three-day Symposium was organized by the joint efforts of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Republic of Armenia National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Oriental Studies, and Republic of Armenia State Committee of Science. The Symposium was attended by 23 scientists from Armenia and abroad.

The Symposium was opened with remarks by Archimandrite Shahe Ananyan, Director of Public Relations and Publishing Departments of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The first session was presided by Prof. Dr. Claude Mutafian and Prof. Levon Chookaszian, Head of the Department of Armenian Art History and Theory of the Yerevan State University Faculty of History and Doctor of Art Sciences.

During the session, reports were presented by Fr. Charles Athanase Renoux: “A reading of the Song of Songs in the Cilician Lectionary”; Mr. Aram Hovhannisyan, Yerevan State University, Faculty of Theology: “From the History of the Relations between Cilician Armenia and the Sultanate of Iconium (40 cc. of 13th c)”; Mr. Vahe Torosian, National Academy of Sciences, RA, Institute of History: “The Ordo of Coronation in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia”; Dr. Peter Halfter, Germany, Marbach/Neckar: “The Church Union between Rome and the Armenian Church reconsidered”; and Mr. Davit Tinoyan, National Academy of Sciences, RA, Institute of History: “ The Religious and Secular Activities of Hetum I”.

The Co-chairmen of the 2nd session were Mr. Azat Bozoyan and Dr. Peter Halfter. Reports were presented by Mr. Levon Chookaszian, Yerevan State University, Chair of the History and Theory of Armenian Art: “The Illuminated Manuscripts of Toros Roslin: A History of Temptation and Salvation”; Mr. Zohrab Gevorkian, National Academy of Sciences, RA, Institute of History: “The Poem of Anonymous of Genova and the Chronicle of Hetum on the Ayas Sea battle between Venice and Genoa in 1924”; and Mrs. Emma Chookaszian, Yerevan State University, Chair of the History and Theory of Armenian Art; “The Enluminure Art of Cilician Armenia and the Italian Art”.