Newly built Armenian church opens doors in California

PanARMENIAN.Net - After years of planning, the St. Sarkis Armenian Church has opened its doors in Carmel Valley, California, Del Mar Times reports.

The newly built 790-square-meter sanctuary was designed to resemble the seventh-century Armenian Apostolic church, St. Hripsime in Etchmiadzin, in Vagharshapat, Armenia. The sanctuary has four stained glass windows on its north and south sides portraying stories from the Bible and early Armenian religious history. Its steeple is over 27 meters high to the top of the cross.

Since 2008, the St. Sarkis congregation, formerly known as St. John Garabed, started to make plans to move from its overcrowded building in North Park and settle in North County where a large number of its members live. The church serves roughly 1,200 families in San Diego County. A groundbreaking for the $7 million church project was held in spring 2019 after being granted city and state permits.

The church’s campus is slated to include a social hall, youth center and gymnasium, and education and cultural building with classrooms and library. These buildings and the sanctuary are slated to occupy about a third of the site with the rest left as a protected preserve. An Armenian Heritage Park is planned on the campus, including a memorial for the Armenian Genocide and open meditation spaces. The church is raising money for the remaining construction.

Several consecration celebrations, including an opening ceremony and First Badarak (Divine Liturgy) were held Jan. 28-30 at the church led by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, and the Very Rev. Fr. Pakrad Dz. V. Berjekian, Parish Priest.