In a stirring outdoor ceremony at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, a new cross was blessed and raised to the peak of the Mother Cathedral, as part of its ongoing restoration.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over the ceremony on June 14, 2020: the Feast of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Bishop Vasken Mirzakhanyan on the Mother See’s outdoor altar. At its conclusion, the new dome cross was brought to altar in procession to be consecrated by the hand of Catholicos Karekin II, which involved being washed with water and wine before being anointed with holy myron.
The elegantly-sculpted cross replaces one that had long stood atop Etchmiadzin Cathedral weathering the elements, which will find a new home in the museum of the Mother See.
At the climax of the ceremony, the new cross was decorated with flowers and led in procession to the cathedral courtyard, there to be raised via crane to the pinnacle of the dome. The dome itself is still under scaffolding as it undergoes its part in the comprehensive renovation and restoration of the centuries-old structure, which has been ongoing for several years at the order of His Holiness Karekin II.
For a moment as the new cross was affixed to the peak, it stood alongside a smaller, simpler cross which had been placed temporarily over the dome when the scaffolding had first covered it, so that the cross of Christ would always occupy the highest point of the Mother See, without interruption.
A Gift of God, a Sign of Love
Prior to the cross-raising, the Catholicos delivered a message in which he called Holy Etchmiadzin “the divinely-established gift of God to our people, presented to us by His only Begotten Son, as a testament His infinite love towards our people.”
He made reference to the great story of the cathedral’s origin, in which St. Gregory the Illuminator received a vision of Christ descending from the heavens, who struck the ground with a great hammer. The earth quaked, and a great church arose out of the rocky soil: Holy Etchmiadzin, which means “the place where the Only Begotten Son came down.”
“Through the centuries, Holy Etchmiadzin has been the rock anchoring Armenian faith,” he continued. “Upon that rock Armenian identity was created, and Armenia’s statehood re-established. Etchmiadzin has kept our people united, nourished our national virtues, and led us forward to a horizon of independence.”
Referring to the new cross, the Catholicos said it was “the sign of victory over hardship; the pledge of our solidarity; the guarantor of Christ’s supportive, protective presence among our people.”
“Let us not hesitate or weaken in expressing love and devotion to our priceless sanctuary: cross-crowned Holy Etchmiadzin,” he concluded. “Under its shadow we are united in spirit, strengthened in our national aspiration, and inspired to build our bright future.”
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