The church sits on top of a mountain with lovely view of the valley bellow and a far reaching mountain range. These old Christians had a knack for placement.
I know I keep posting pictures of churches and I am admittedly not very religious, but I can't help myself from putting up more photos. Armenians take pride in being the first Christian nation, but it is more than that, being Christian is a large part of their identity. Christianity has served duel roles of religious faith and political unity. Christianity is how Armenians differentiate themselves from their neighbors (and those who conquered them) for the past 1700 years.
Most recently, the resilience of Christianity in both Armenia and Artsakh held up against the Soviets. The powers that be in Moscow oversaw the closure of almost all of Armenia's churches (and churches throughout all of the Soviet Union)and persecuted religious leaders.
Many folks say it is the genocide that gives cohesion to the Armenian people, but the longer I stay here, the more I realize that it is this deep sense of being Christian that connects Armenians. This was the intent, I assume, when King Tiridates III made Christianity the official religion early in the 4th century.
I feel a bit out of my element, but am inspired by this rich history.
I think you are right when you say that it is the religion that connects Armenians (in Armenia) more than the genocide. I think the genocide plays a much larger part in the identity of Diasporans than in that of local Armenians. On the other hand I am not always sure how deep those religious feelings go in many people. But independent of that depth, religion is part of the identity of Armenians.
ReplyDeleteI am not religious at all (neither am I Armenian) but in Armenia I made it a habit to burn candles when I visit a church and think about the people around me who need some extra support at that moment. I don't think I'd even consider doing that anywhere else.
Good reading, Margaret. Just heard about your blog from Joe. The myriad roles religion can play, first on a societal level and very differently, on a personal level are powerful (& at times frightening) Your aunt in Milwaukee
ReplyDeleteMyrth - thanks for the input. I haven't been here long enough to know how deep the faith of the Armenians goes (nor am I good judge on this), but it is certainly resilient. As for the candles, completely agree.
ReplyDeleteAunt Margaret- Great to hear from you. Hope all is well in Milwaukee.