Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Armenian Awakening: Revival of a Church

   Diana Markosian | Moscow  15 January 2011
   A  group  of  worshipers  light  candles.  Christmas  in  the Armenian
   tradition is a purely religious affair.

Photo: VOA - D. Markosian

   A  group  of  worshipers  light  candles.  Christmas  in  the Armenian
   tradition is a purely religious affair.

   The voices of a small Armenian choir reverberate off the ancient walls
   of  a  17th century church in the rugged hills of Yerevan. Outside the
   tiny  parish,  churchgoers  huddle,  clamoring  to  get  a peek of the
   evening service.

   It  is  Christmas  Eve,  and nearly 20 years after the collapse of the
   Soviet Union, the Armenian Church has once again come alive.

   âThis is the first year Iâve attended service,â says Mane Saroyan, 20,
   a  student  at  a university in Yerevan. âI consider myself a believer
   and a Christian. I usually come to church by myself or with family and
   spend quite a bit of time here."

   For  Saroyan  the  church  plays a more major role in her life. She is
   part of a new wave of young worshippers in Armenia.

   âOur  church  is  getting  younger  and younger,â jokingly says Father
   Shmavon  Ghevondyan  of  St.  Hovhannes  Armenian  Apostolic Church in
   Yerevan.  âWe  are  seeing  a  new  trend  of Armenian youth attending
   service.â

   In the 20th century, Armenia witnessed a series of cataclysms with the
   Armenian  nation nearly destroyed by the Turks, the countryâs identity
   swallowed by communism and a wave of emigration to the West.

   Now,  more  Armenians  live  outside  the republic than inside it. The
   Armenian immigrants â many of whom were raised without religion, under
   a  communist  regime â have been drawn back to the old church, helping
   to rebuild and sustain the Armeniaâs identity.

   âMy  father  was  an  atheist.  He  didnât  believe in God; he instead
   believed  in the Soviet Union,â says Lilit Umirshatyan, 43, a composer
   in  Armenia.  âWhen  the  system collapsed, people didnât know what to
   believe in.â

   Umirshatyan,  who  was  raised  in the forced secularism of the Soviet
   era,  the  church provided some hope. She baptized her three children,
   and attends service weekly.

   Across  the  country,  new  churches  are  being  built  and restored.
   Building  improvements  are a work in progress. The walls are cleaned;
   windows  replaced  and  water  damage  to  an  icon of the Virgin Mary
   repaired.

   âWhere there is an Armenian community, there is a church,â says Father
   Ghevondyan.  âNew  churches  are  being built not just in Armenia, but
   outside our country as well."
   In  Moscow, the construction of the new church is mainly funded by the
   Armenians overseas.

   About  94  percent  of  Armenians  consider  themselves to be Armenian
   Christians,   having   derived  their  faith  directly  from  Christâs
   apostles.   Armenia   claims   to  be  the  first  nation  to  declare
   Christianity as its state religion in 301 A.D.

.