Today marks Khoren Palyan’s birthday. If he were living, he would have turned 79 years old and would be preparing to mark his 80^th birthday. But the gifted artist, intellectual and spiritual singer has not been with us for the past seven years already. He is not with us, but we remember him very often and appreciate his merit, considering him one of the unique individuals who presented Armenian spiritual songs to the people and established a connection with spiritual songs…

Khoren Palyan was born in Tripoli, Lebanon. His parents were survivors of the Armenian Genocide. They settled in Lebanon, but dreamed of Armenia. In 1946, like many, they also returned home…The Palyans settled in Yerevan where Khoren Palyan received his secondary education and went on to continue his studies at the Gevorgyan Lyceum. The late Supreme Patriarch Vazgen I attached great importance to spiritual education and tried to instill in youth the love for everything that was spiritual and especially appreciated devotees and gifted people. He noticed Khoren Palyan’s talents during his years of study and encouraged him. In 1955, Khoren Palyan was ordained a deacon and started his service and focused on Armenian spiritual songs. In 1961, the Supreme Patriarch ordained him a priest, and a year later, Palyan defended a lecture to become an archimandrite. The gifted clergyman held different posts, but singing came first. He tried to continue the task of the devoted clergymen that preserved and developed Armenian spiritual songs…

Khoren Palyan might have continued his spiritual service, if he hadn’t met Lusine Zakaryan. The two were very much in love. Khoren Palyan lived for Lusine and went crazy for the singer who became a breakthrough artist with her performances of spiritual music and the music of Komitas. In 1965, Khoren Palyan confessed his love to Catholicos Vazgen I. Being an old, wide man, the Supreme Patriarch understood the archimandrite and relieved him of religious service. In 1965, Khoren Palyan got accepted to the Faculty of Philology at Yerevan State University and continued to work at the university as a professor of the history of Armenian language and classic Armenian (grabar) in the Chair of History of the Armenian Language.

Khoren Palyan and Lusine Zakaryan got married in 1968. In his book entitled “Lusine Zakaryan”, literary critic Karlen Danielyan wrote: “Lusine and Khoren Palyan got married in July 1968. They received a two-bedroom apartment on Sahak Ter-Gabrielyan Street (modern-day Yeznik Koghbatsi Street). They performed the wedding and the blessing of their new home at the same time. The rooms were full of flowers. The invitation tickets were made with the best handwriting and in a special style. Lusine and Khoren invited their close ones, and the wedding turned into an evening of homage. Everyone congratulated the beloved and reputable individuals and wished them happiness. The wedding ceremony included performances of the best songs and the most touching poems. The couple didn’t go on a honeymoon. They not only had to take care of expenses for their year-end concert, but had plans to prepare for ceremonies dedicated to Komitas’s centennial in 1969.”

Lusine Zakaryan and Khoren Palyan lived an entire life together. It was a life full of love and devotion, as well as sadness and suffering…Only years later would many details of their life be revealed and that Khoren Palyan had become a father, committing his only sin that was against Lusine…

“During their life together, Khoren Palyan was not only Lusine’s first Armenian language and grabar teacher, but also the first music teacher since nobody knew Armenian spiritual music as well as the former clergyman did. Khoren Palyan taught the singer thousands of psalms and introduced her to great spiritual music. With her exceptional voice and brilliance, Lusine became the most beloved singer of the Armenians in a short period of time. Moreover, the singer didn’t become a beloved singer by singing at concerts, but by singing for the choir of the Mother Temple. Lusine Zakaryan’s exceptional voice and mastery of performance were highly appreciated by Supreme Patriarch Vazgen,” N. Arakelyan wrote.

Lusine passed away in 1991. By the order of Patriarch Vazgen I, her body was buried in the yard of St. Gayane Church, Khoren Palyan continued his career by giving lectures on rituals and conduct at the Faculty of Theology of Yerevan State University from 1995 to 2005. He created and headed the University’s main choir, wrote several books, prepared religious programs, wrote encyclopedic articles, created a manual devoted to the Armenian Church and gave lectures in Helsinki and Los Angeles…

Khoren Palyan passed away in 2007, and his body was buried next to Lusine as continuation of the harmony that had not been interrupted…

Levon Mutafyan