2014_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 2014

              March 2014
Hye Sharzhoom
3
His Excellency, Bako Sahakyan, President of the Republic
of Karabagh (righD, a member of the Friends of Karabagh
(center), and Professor Kouymjian at the presentation of
the Medal of Gratitude in Paris, October 12,2013.
Prof. Dickran Kouymjian Honored Twice in Paris
a dozen Americans. Membeis
are chosen by the Council of
scholars of each section/class and
nominated by the President of the
Academy, currently Archbishop
Franco Buzzi.
Membeis of the Academy are
personally appointed by the Great
Chancellor and chosen among
scholars of recognized scientific
and cultural value within each
Class and nominated by the
Directing Council on the basis of
recommendations provided by the
Ass embly of the Academics
The membeis of the Academy
are appointed as life members.
For his inaugural address, Prof.
Kouymjian spoken on 'Some
Iconographical Questions about
the Christ Cycle in Armenian
Manuscripts and Printed Books,"
which will be published in
the Journal of the Biblioteca
Ambrosiana later this year.
A month earlier, on October
12, 2013, at a private dinner-
reception held at the Caviar
Petrossian Restaurant in Paris,
Dr. Kouymjian received the
distinguished Medal of Gratitude
of the Republic of Artsakh
from the President of Artsakh-
Karabagh, Bako Sahakyan.
The dinner was arranged by
the Permanent Representative
of the Republic of Karabagh in
Paris, Hovhannes Gevorgyan, and
the executive committee of the
Friends of Karabagh in France
The honor was bestowed for
the bi-lingual book that Prof.
Kouymjian co-edited with Dr.
Claude Mutafian (also honored),
Artsakh-Karabagh: Garden of
Armenian Arts and Traditions
Jardin des arts et des traditions
armeniens, Paris: Somogy Art
Publishers, 2011.
Staff Report
Last spring Prof. Dickran
Kouymjian, Haig & Isabel
Berberian Professor of Armenian
Studies, Emeritus, was informed
that the Scientific Council of the
Academy of the Ambrosiana
Library of Milan had nominated
him to become a member.
On November 11, 2013, at
the Biblioteca Ambrosiana,
Dr. Kouymjian was officially
confirmed a member of the
Academy by the President,
Archbishop Franco Buzzi, upon
the recommendation of the Grand
Chancellor of the Accademia
Ambrosiana, the Archbishop of
Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana
was found just after 1600 by
Cardinal Federico Borromeo
(1564-1631), Archbishop of
Milan, as a public library (the
second in Europe after the
Bodleian Library in Cbtford) and
research center. At his death his
vast collection of European and
Oriental manuscripts and a library
of more than 30,000 books, as
well as his vast art collection, was
given to the institution named
after Ambrose, the patron saint of
Milan
Over the centuries, as the
library and art museum grew, it
becameone of the most prestigious
centeis of research and learning
in the arts and humanities in Italy
and Europe.
The Academy is divided into
seven sections or classes, most
of them devoted to Italian art and
classical studies, while two are
res erved for Near Eastern and Far
Eastern Studies.
Dr. Kouymjian was elected
to the Near Eastern section, the
second American member, and
the first to be appointed to its
Armenian Studies section Out of
the 250 current members of the
Academy, there are now about
Marchese Discusses New Research on Armenian
Religious Textile and Metal Art of Constantinople
Emma Shaljvan
Staff Writer
The Armenian community of
Constantinople at the turn of the
twentieth century was estimated
to be over 200,000, and together
with the Greeks, they constituted
a majority of the population of the
city.
TheArmenian Studies Program
invited Dr. Ronald Marchese,
Professor of Ancient History and
Archeology, at the University of
Minnesota-Duluth, as a guest on
Thursday, January 30, to speak on
the topic of "Art and Society in
Armenian Constantinople."
Dr. Marchese, together with
colleague Dr. Marlene Breu, is
the co-author of the critically
acclaimed Splendor and
Pageantry: Textile Treasures
from the Armenian Orthodox
Churches of Istanbul (Istanbul:
Citlembik Publications, 2011)
and is currently finishing work
on a second volume devoted to
the metal work produced by the
Armenians of Constantinople.
The lecture focused on the
textile treasures of Constantinople
and the cultural context in
which they were produced.
Dr. Marchese developed his
interest and research into the
Armenian religious objects in
Constantinople in the late 1990's
and is fascinated by the diveise
artistic work produced.
In Armenian material culture,
textiles were considered to be a
popular form of express ion. This
kind of art was gender specific;
men produced the block printed
fabric, while women did the
delicate work of needle and lace
embroidery. Because of the many
new churches being built by
Armenians in Constantinople in
the 18th and 19th centuries, there
was a greater need for religious
items such as crowns, collars,
and altar curtains. This led to
the establishment of embroidery
schools, with exclusively
Armenian students.
The "Constantinople Style" of
art, in textiles and in metal work,
developed in the middle oft he 18th
century. The style included the
incorporation of specific scenes,
nature/ floral patterns, metals,
gemstones, and pearls in the
artwork. All the work was delicate
with very detailed craftsmanship.
The "Constantinople Style" was a
unique artistic style that became
recognized for its delicacy, beauty;
vibrancy, and complexity.
Dr. Marchese pres ented images
of several distinctive art pieces
that he had studied. He mentioned
the importance of the Armenian
inscriptions for an understanding
of the social forces at work in the
Dr. Ron Marchese
community;
Many of the artists who
produced the        Armenian
manuscripts were clergymen,
who worked either in monasteries
or in very isolated areas, while
artists who dealt with gold,
silver, bronze, and other metals
worked in villages or in urban
environments.
Most of the obj ects dis cuss ed
during the evening were examples
of religious art created from gold
and silver threads, representing
the images in the richest and
most vivid colors possible The
majority of these works are
kept in the Armenian churches
of Constantinople, with limited
access for safekeeping.
Dr. Marchese shared his
knowledge and understanding of
the history and the significance
of these artworks with the Fresno
audience in his fascinating
lecture.
Armenian Cross-Cultural Ties
Subject of New Book by La Porta
Andrew Esguerra
Staff Writer
The Armenian Studies Program
of Fresno State is pleased to
announce the publication of a
volume entitled. Negotiating
Co-Existence. Communities,
Cultures and Convivencia in
Byzantine Society, co-edited by
Haig and Isabel Berberian Chair
of Armenian Studies, Dr. Sergio
La Porta
The volume is the result of a
conference convened in 2010 by
Dr. Barbara Crostini in Dublin,
which aimed at accentuating the
cultural diveisity of the Byzantine
Commonwealth and exploring
modes of cultural interaction
between its membeis. At the
conclusion of the conference,
Dr. Crostini asked Dr. La Porta
whether he would be willing to
co-edit the papers for a volume.
The volume contains thirteen
essays that address issues of the
definition of Arabs and Islam in
Byzantium, exchanges of material
culture, translations of texts and
visual images across borders, and
the dynamics of co-existence.
The volume includes a
contribution by Dr. La Porta
on "Re-Constructing Armenia
Strategies of Co-Existence
amongst Christians and Muslims
Negotiating Co-Exi&tcncc
Communities. Calturcs jikI Comivvncta
in ltyzantino Society
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in the Thirteenth Century."
Although the territory of Armenia
was   not within the Byzantine
Commonwealth in the thirteenth
century, the essay provided an
analogy of the complexities of
inter-communal relations and of
the construction of communal
identity in a neighboring society.
In the essay, Dr. La Porta
examined how the removal of the
older established Armenian noble
houses (the naxarars), as well
as the lack of a single dominant
political power, enabled the rise
of new social and political classes
as well as how interactions
between Armenian, Georgian,
and Turkic peoples produced a
shared cultural environment.
Armenians on the Internet
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Tatevik Hovhannisyan • Staff Writer
The Armenian Church
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin
www.armenianchurch.org
Main Categories: The Armenian Church Today,
Catholicos of All Armenians, Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin, "Etchmiadzin Monthly," Origins of
Christianity, Education, Just for Youth, Services,
Video Gallery, Feature Video and Feature Story
Summary: Do you ever have questions about the Armenian
Apostolic Church? Do you want to be up to date about all the
activities and news from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin?
If you answered yes, then this web site is for you.
Dating back to 301 AD, the Armenian Apostolic Church is
an incredibly ancient institution. Because of its great history,
many may not be aware of all the different aspects of the
Church. The cultural and traditional aspect, the liturgy, along
with institutional information may educate many people who
choose to visit the website.
Armenianchurch.org is a means through which members of
the Armenian Apostolic Church, or any interested individual, can
stay connected with the important happenings at Etchmiadzin.
The website also provides educational information for those
wishing to become more knowledgeable about the Church.
Visitors to the website can learn about the history of the
Church, about the leaders of the Church, such as the Armenian
Catholicosates and Patriarchates, explaining the importance
of the ranks and forms of address. Brief information is also
provided about the different seminaries students can attend. It
is interesting to learn of the seminaries around the world.
The informative website answers all the questions one may
have about the Armenian Apostolic Church. Created by the
Catholicosate of All Armenians, the website can be viewed in
English or Armenian.