St. Nerses Shnorhali on the UNESCO Calendar in 2023
In 2023, on the occasion of the 850 th anniversary of the death of St. Nerses Shnorhali (d. 1173) the UNESCO included his name in its calendar of commemorations of eminent personalities.
St. Nerses Shnorhali was a multi-faceted figure: a poet, a theologian, a hymnographer, a political figure, a spiritual leader. He was the head of the Armenian Church (catholicos) between 1166 and 1173, residing at the fortress of Hromklay (Qalat ar-Rum) overlooking the Euphrates river, in the Cilician Armenian cultural milieu. His legacy occupies a prominent place in history, as a vibrant expression of medieval learning and culture, hardly limited to Armenia. He is remembered, among others, for his negotiations with the Byzantine and Syriac Churches and his unique, for his time pioneeringly irenic attitude towards the other co-eval churches (Byzantine, Syriac, Latin). The various events that commemorated this singular, towering figure took place around the world. These included two conferences in which the PI Pogossian participated and/or co-organised. A conference held on the Island of St. Lazaro (Venice), the celebrated monastery of the Armenian Mechitarist Congregation, was held on October 19-22, 2023. It focused on St. Nerses and monasticism in Cilician Armenia (program).
The conference was live-streamed and attracted a great number of viewers.
Prof. Pogossian discussed Nersēs Shnorhali’s participation in translations of hagiographical works from Syriac and Greek into Armenian:
She explored this subject further, with a particular emphasis on Nerses Shnorhali’s impact on the translation of the Life of St. Sergius and the diffusion of his cult in medieval Armenia, also at a conference in Rome, at the Pontifical Oriental Institute. She was one of the co-organisers of this conference that took place on November 30 th and December 1 st , 2023, entitled Plenitude of Grace, Plenitude of Humanity: St Nerses Shnorhali at the Juncture of Millennia (program).
This conferences was fully live-streamed and is available for viewing.
Prof. Pogossian's talk is here:
Last update
10.01.2024