The ornate cross containing a relic of St. Vartan the Brave, set into the square "eye" at the center of the reliquary. Relic of St. Vartan Arrives in New York This week, New York became the permanent home to a unique piece of Armenia’s sacred history: a holy relic of St. Vartan the Brave. The relic is the gracious gift of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, given to the Eastern Diocese in honor of the 45th anniversary of New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral. Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian accepted the relic on behalf of the Diocese during his recent trip to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. The 1,500-year-old relic—a piece of stone encrusted with the blood of Armenia’s 5th-century warrior saint—is encased in a beautiful, hand-crafted silver cross, which was sanctified in a special ceremony at the Holy See in late August (click here to view a gallery of photos of the consecration). In its cross-shaped reliquary, the relic of St. Vartan will be unveiled to the public this Sunday, September 15, as part of the official celebration of the 45th anniversary of St. Vartan Cathedral. (See the item above for information.) In the coming months the Primate will be bringing the relic of St. Vartan with him on parish visits, so that local parishioners can view it in person.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 04:18:11 +0000
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