Recently Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, Father, Bishop Haigazoun Najarian served a Divine Liturgy at the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of Singapore.

At the end, Bishop Haigazoun Najarian informed that the high Saint Nerses Shnorhali Order of Honor had been granted to Krikor (Greg) Basmadjian by the Sacred Condac of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.

Krikor Basmadjian is one of the early members of the Armenian community of Singapore. For years, he has served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church and has made great contributions to the preservation and fortification of the 179-year old Armenian Church of Singapore. To this day, Krikor Basmadjian serves the Armenian Apostolic Church and carries out great deeds to preserve Armenian churches not only in Singapore, but in Yangon, Myanmar and Dhaka as well.

“The Armenian community of Singapore and the board of trustees of the Armenian Church take pride and are pleased with the fact that Krikor Basmadjian has received such a high award. We express our gratitude to Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II,” chairman of the board of trustees of the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of Singapore Armen Budaghyan mentioned in an interview with “Hayern Aysor”.

The highest Saint Gregory the Illuminator Order of Honor was set in 1919 by the blessing of Catholicos of All Armenians Gevorg V Surenyants. It is granted by the Sacred Condac of the Catholicos of All Armenians as a token of appreciation of the great benevolent acts for the Armenian Church, the Armenian people and Armenia and for the sake of the Armenian Holy Apostolic Church and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The order is made from gold and is decorated with small diamonds (50x40mm). It is coated with laurel and oak branches in which, in the upper part one can see the symbol of the Catholicos of All Armenians with his turban, cross-crosier, the pontifical (Episcopal) crosier, a patriarchal ornament, an ecclesiastical mantle (the initials of the Patriarch of the time are written on the edges, for instance G. and B. (Garegin B), and in the lower part one can see the Mother Temple of Holy Etchmiadzin with the inscription “Holy Etchmiadzin” on the background of Mount Ararat.