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It is indubitably one of the most wonderful things about
the Armenian Church that its traditions are upheld nearly
identically around the world. It is a constant, a rock,
a “home base” that Armenians can return to to
reconnect with God as well as their ancestral past. But
to say that there are no differences between the churches
of the motherland and those of the Diaspora is false.
Singing with the choir at Zoravor Armenian Apostolic Church
in Yerevan proved to me that no matter how grand our Armenian
churches back home in America are, no matter how charismatic
our priests, and no matter how beautiful the voice in our
choirs, experiencing and being apart of the Divine Liturgy
in a church in Armenia is something else. In all honestly,
it is nothing less than surreal to be worshipping and praying
in a stone structure like the many ancient churches and
monasteries in the Armenian countryside. Zoravor is by no
means an architectural wonder; it is a small, traditionally
built church, seemingly out of place in the urban streets
of Yerevan with its large and imposing, dark and scarcely
decorated stone walls. There is just something about the
traditional Armenian stone masonry found in these churches
that explains why this has been the architectural style
of choice for the construction of our places of worship
for centuries. In their simplistic design, there is a sense
of peace and protection, in their monumental size, a sense
of strength and perseverance, in their dark color a sense
of antiquity and authenticity. They speak both to the Armenian
historical past and spirit but also the Armenian vision
of the divine. We touch and kiss the stone walls, we kneel
down and prostrate ourselves on the stone floors; the stones
do not just form the backdrop of the church experience,
they are an integral part of the worship. That I have an
impulse to lay my hands on the stone walls of all the monasteries
and churches we have thus far visited had made it clear
to me that I am indeed one of these “stone people.”
Perhaps it is the feeling that the Holy Spirit can safely
live within these stone walls, or perhaps it is the idea
that stone is ever-lasting and transcendent of time and
space or maybe it is the knowledge of how old such structures
really are and that in worship, one is upholding a continuity
in faith between the past and the present that has remained
unbroken in Armenia. Whatever it is, that our churches back
home lack this stone masonry is undeniably a shame!
What I have always loved about our Armenian Church is
the warmth with which people are greeted and the kindness
with which they are treated. Zoravor was no exception. The
priests, deacons, choir members and even the parishioners
accepted us unhesitatingly. For the deacon to have met with
us, personally introduced us to the entire clergy, and toured
us around the church, for the choir leader to have allowed
us to join her exceptional group of singers without any
question as to how we would sound, and for the female parishioners
to have lent us their veils so we could receive communion
was all so heart-warming. Zoravor really did feel like a
community of worshippers, a group of loving, caring, and
faithful Christians eager to share in the divine spirit
as one. Watching the parishioners from the choir balcony,
crowded into every possible nook and cranny of the church,
solemnly crossing themselves and bowing their heads, singing
and praying along with us, taking the communion and kissing
the Bible en masse, and standing during the entire service
in true Orthodox style, I realized how important a role
the Armenian church plays in the lives of the people in
Armenia. This wasn’t just a run of the mill Sunday
excursion for the people in attendance; no one seemed to
be there drudgingly or forcibly. The feeling in the air
was so solemn and necessary that things seemed like a matter
of life and death; the suffering and desperation were palpable
and real; people were not just praying for the rest of the
world, as I often do back home, but for themselves and for
their neighbors. The church seemed to be their true life-blood
and I felt so blessed to be able to sing for them, to be
part of something so important to them, to join their community
of faith and love for Jesus Christ. It was unforgettable.
Sona Bekmezian (USA),
AAA volunteer and BR/DH participant
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