The Renaissance Foundation invited representatives of show business, culture, and the arts to the village of Vardenis in the Aragatsotn Province for a pilgrimage. During the visit, participants toured the “Seven Wounds” and “Saint Narek” chapels, followed by the Saint Hakob Church.
The guests became acquainted with the village’s sacred sites. One of them is the Narek Chapel, which many years ago was known as the House of Pate. Hakob Hakobyan, Director of the Renaissance Foundation, noted that a book once kept in that house was believed to possess healing properties.
“During the Soviet years, the heirs of the family emigrated, taking the book with them. At the initiative of Artur Janibekyan, during the renovation of the village, the chapel was also renovated, and the book was returned to the village. Although the book is called Narek of Patei, it is not actually Narek’s “Book of Tragedy”, it is a Gospel printed in 1710.”
The final stop of the pilgrimage was St. Hakob Church, which was renovated and re-consecrated in 2012 with the support of Artur Janibekyan. A bell tower was also constructed.
The Renaissance Foundation organized this unique pilgrimage ahead of August 3, the Day of Vardenis Village. The annual celebration, traditionally marked with great solemnity, will this year also feature the ceremonial consecration of canvases created for St. Hakob Church. The church altar will be adorned with more than a dozen paintings depicting the life of Christ. The author of the works is artist Mikayel Harutyunyan.
Artak Aleksanyan presented the cultural and spiritual initiatives carried out by the Renaissance Foundation.
“You are all partners and friends of Artur Janibekyan. This visit is also a good opportunity to get to know the work of Janibekyan’s “Renaissance” Foundation. One of the many initiatives will be the installation of paintings depicting the birth and entire life of Christ in the St. Jacob Church. The paintings are actually very large-scale and impressive. When they are installed in this church, we can call it the Armenian Sistine Chapel.”
At the conclusion of the visit, Anahit Papayan and the Geghard Choir performed spiritual and folk songs.