On October 24, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan participated in the ceremony of consecration of the St. Mary Church in Södertälje, Sweden. The St. Mary Church of Södertälje is the first Armenian church in not only Sweden, which has a population of more than 12,000 Armenians, but also in Scandinavia as a whole.

Among those attending the grand ceremony of consecration the church were Members of the Parliament of Sweden, mayors, clergymen, accredited diplomats, RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sweden Artak Apitonyan, other officials, as well as hundreds of representatives of the Armenian communities of different cities across the country.

“We first and foremost owe it to the Armenian community of Sweden for this church. The community is becoming more and more active, and the Armenians of Syria, who were forced to leave their second homeland and settle in Sweden, are conveying new air to the community. I am certain that consolidation around this church will help our compatriots preserve their identity, language and culture and stay more clung to their history and roots. Of course, the church will become the center that will receive more energy from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and will further reinforce the Armenian faith and Christianity among our compatriots in this region of the world,” said Hranush Hakobyan as she addressed to media representatives participating in the ceremony.

After the grand ceremony of consecration, Minister Hranush Hakobyan had a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community at the church hall.