St. Gregory of Narek statue unveiled in the Vatican

PanARMENIAN.Net - A statue Armenian monk St. Gregory of Narek was unveiled in the Vatican on Thursday, April 5, with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan attending the event.

At the end of Pope Francis’ visit to Armenia in June 2016, the pope was given a small statue of St. Gregory of Narek, a gift from Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan. A large replica of the statue will be installed at the Vatican gardens on Thursday, April 5, in the presence of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, who is head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with other Armenian dignitaries.

An Armenian monk, theologian and poet of the 10th century, St. Gregory of Narek is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian national Church of Eastern Orthodoxy. Pope Francis proclaimed Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Church during an April 2015 Mass for the centenary of Armenian Genocide.

At the end of Pope Francis’ visit to Armenia in June 2016, the pope was given a small statue of St. Gregory of Narek, a gift from Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan. A large replica of the statue will be installed at the Vatican gardens on Thursday, April 5, in the presence of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos Karekin II, who is head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with other Armenian dignitaries.

The two-meter bronze statue was authored by prominent Armenian artist Davit Yerevantsi, while the architect of the project is Mikayel Hasratyan.

The statue was made in two copies, with the second one installed in Etchmiadzin, the seat of the Catholicos, the supreme head of the Armenian Church.

Prior to the event, Armenian ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan said that the installation of the statue St. Gregory of Narek seems like a piece of Armenia is placed in the Vatican.