On June 11, the city of Gerla (Cluj province of Romania), the historic Armenopolis established by the Armenians in the early 17^th century, celebrated Saint Gregory the Illuminator Day once again. After establishing fraternal ties with the Armenian city of Ijevan in 2012, the municipal authorities of Gerla also declared this significant religious holiday of the Armenian Catholic Community of Transylvania as Gerla Day, which turned into an international festival featuring performances by delegates from the sister cities of Switzerland, France, Germany, Hungary and Poland. The main events of the diverse program are the Armenian national events.

On that day, a festive liturgy dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator was served at the Holy Trinity Armenian Catholic Cathedral of Gerla, which was built in 1776 and is considered the largest Armenian Catholic cathedral in the world. Romania’s TVR Cluj prepared a report on the cathedral.

“The festive liturgy devoted to St. Gregory the Illuminator, which is usually held in Gerla, was served with the participation of “The Knights in Red Gowns”. The Armenians and others attending the liturgy paid tribute to the first Catholicos of the Armenians, Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who was one of the first Christian Catholicoses and the founder of the first Christian land,” as stated in the report.

“This day, which has become Gerla Day, is of special significance not only for the Armenians, but also all the residents of the city. Gerla has established fraternal ties with various cities across Europe, as well as the cities of Armenia and Israel, whose delegations gather here on this day every year. Therefore, we can truly say that Gerla is the capital of the fraternal cities and a symbolic place for gathering for all of us,” Armenia’s Ambassador Hamlet Gasparyan said.

In his turn, President of the Union of Armenians of Romania Varujan Vosganian added the following: “The day dedicated to Saint Gregory the Illuminator is a day for Romania and every Armenian. With this celebration, we remind the world that the Armenians were the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, We also remind that Gerla, which had been referred to as Armenopolis for a long time, is the only place that Armenians named and reminds them of their homeland. The name Armenopolis can be found on several maps of those eras. Moreover, until the 20^th century, the cathedral located in Gerla was the largest cathedral that was built by Armenians abroad.”

Vice-President of the Union of Armenians of Hungary Alex Avanesyan, who was also attending the celebration, also shared his impressions. “Unfortunately, currently, the Armenians of Hungary aren’t able to celebrate their religious holidays since the Armenian Church has been left out of the latest decision of the government on religions. Currently, due to the fact that the Armenian Church is unrecognized, thousands of Armenians of Hungary don’t go to church and don’t participate in holy masses,” Avanesyan said, adding that fortunately, there are neighboring countries where Armenians can go and enjoy special moments with their fellow Armenians, be it Armenians from Hungary or Transylvania. “Every year, this pilgrimage to Gerla is a special celebration for us, and I hope you enjoy it several times,” Avanesyan stated.

In the report, the reporter also mentions that the liturgy was followed by the presentation of the book “Monograph of the City of Gerla” by late 19^th century Armenian historian and editor of Transylvania Christoph Songot and that the book was translated from Hungarian into Romanian by Andrea Gitsa.

Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Romania, Bishop Tatev Hakobyan, as well as Roman-Catholic Archbishop of Alba Yulia, spiritual leader of the Armenian Catholics of Transylvania Gyorgi Yakubin addressed the attendees in Armenian. Bishop Tatev Hakobyan attached importance to the fact that the Pope would be visiting Armenia on 24-26 June and referred to the visit as a historic one.

Varujan Vosganian and Alex Avanesyan also talked about the official positions of Romania and Hungary on the Armenian Genocide following the adoption of the resolution on recognition of the Armenian Genocide adopted by the German Bundestag.

Vosganian particularly informed that the issue of the Armenian Genocide is currently not on the agenda of Romanian political parties and that the latter are trying not to touch upon the issue. Vosganian stated that the adoption of the resolution on recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag should also set an example for the Parliament of Romania since Romania is one of the countries of the world that treats national minorities the right way and there is no other country in Europe where the Armenians enjoy more constitutional rights and rights established by law. “Being an Armenian in Romania is an honor,” he said. Vosganian stated that it would be nice, if such an attitude of the people and the authorities was also shown with recognition of the Armenian Genocide, which is not only recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but also recognition of the history of mankind.

According to Alex Avanesyan, Germany is a global and major factor in global politics and in the European context, just like France, which has already recognized the Armenian Genocide, like many other countries across Europe. Avanesyan expressed the view that if Vishegrad’s group decides to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the issue might also be in the focus of the Parliament of Hungary and there might be some outcome.

Let us remind that in 2014, the Romanian TVR3, TVR-Cluj and TVR Plus television networks provided live broadcast of the entire festive liturgy dedicated to St. Gregory the Illuminator at the Holy Trinity Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Gerla.

“Gerla has become a place of gathering in Europe, and it is natural since it has been a crossroads for nations, cultures and traditions for centuries,” Ambassador Gasparyan announced during the grand ceremony dedicated to the launch of a new and unique mechanism for the clock of the 300-year-old Armenian cathedral right after the liturgy. Gasparyan added the following: “It is precious, especially for us Armenians since it forms a part of the history of our nation. The Armenians of Romania are the loop that links us together, the friendship and solidarity through which we want to build a better world and a better future.”

After the ceremony, the Romanian TVR3 channel continued its live broadcast from the yard of the Armenian Cathedral with speeches and performances by Ambassador Gasparyan, proclaimed Romanian-Armenian jazz pianist Harry Tavitian, Vice-President of the Union of Armenians of Romania Sirun Terzian and Director of the Armenian Museum of Gerla Mircea Tivadar. During the event, the speakers talked about the heritage of the Armenians of Romania, their problems and the Armenian Genocide for an hour. Host Karen Scebesi asked Mayor Marius Sabo and President of the Union of Armenians of Transylvania Ioan Esztegar about the past and present of the Armenian city of Armenopolis. The program was rerun in its entirety the next day in the evening.

Source: Hayern Aysor