On 6 April, a concert devoted to Gregory of Narek was held at the main cathedral in Riga as part of the Armenian Culture Days events organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Latvia (seat in Vilnius).

Among the attendees were First President of the Republic of Latvia Guntis Ulmanis, representatives of various government agencies, ambassadors accredited to Latvia, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia Nerses Ter-Vardanyan, pastor of the Armenian Church in the Baltic states, Fr. Priest Khosrov Stepanyan, the archbishops of the Lutheran and Catholic Churches in Latvia, as well as Latvian and Armenian public figures.

The concert began with opening speeches by Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Latvia Tigran Mkrtchyan and pastor of the Armenian Church in the Baltic states, Fr. Priest Khosrov Stepanyan.

In his speech, Ambassador Mkrtchyan talked about Gregory of Narek and his book “Book of Tragedies”, stating that in 2015, Pope Francis I granted the title of Universal Doctor to Saint Gregory.

“The presentation of the Latvian version of Gregory of Narek’s “Book of Tragedies” and a photo exhibition showcasing photos of Armenian medieval churches were held two days ago. The next day marked the launch of an international conference during which Gregory of Narek’s work is being presented as a bridge between the East and the West. Today we are attending this wonderful and, in many regards, unprecedented concert devoted to Gregory of Narek, and the concert marks the end of the Armenian Culture Days in Latvia. The goal of all these events was to present the contributions that Armenian culture has made to universal Christian civilization,” Ambassador Mkrtchyan stated in his speech.

The concert featured performances by Merited Artist of the Republic of Armenia Anna Mayilyan, the choir of Latvian Radio led by conductor Sigvard Klyava and others.

Reference: The end of the Armenian Culture Days events in Latvia was marked by a lecture devoted to the statement ��?Armenian Genocide’ in the legacy of Yeghishe Charents. The lecture was organized by the University of Latvia and featured a keynote speech by Head of the Chair of Armenian Studies at the University of Oxford Theo van Lint.