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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260920
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260921
DTSTAMP:20240804T084516Z
CREATED:20211027T003755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T084516Z
UID:27123-1789862400-1789948799@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Eve of the Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague)
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis is the Sunday preceding the week prior to the feast of the Appearance of the Holy Cross on Mount Varak (Varague)\, lasting from Monday to Friday. \nBeing hidden by St Hripisime on Mount Varak\, the relic of the Lord’s Wooden Cross was found by a miracle in the 7th century and the Armenian Apostolic Church established another purely national feast dedicated to the Holy Cross\, which is known as the Holy Cross of Varak.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/eve-of-the-fast-of-the-holy-cross-of-varak-varague-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Eve-of-the-Fast-3.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260926
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260927
DTSTAMP:20240804T084857Z
CREATED:20211027T043740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T084857Z
UID:27132-1790380800-1790467199@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Commemoration of St George (Kevork) the Captain\, St Adoktos and St Romanos the Singer
DESCRIPTION:St George the Warrior (Sourp Kevork/Gevorg Zoravar in Armenian) is revered all over the world. He is one of the beloved saints of the Armenian Church\, whose life serves as an example of remaining faithful to God even under the harshest circumstances \nEarly Christian tradition tells us that St George was born to Christian parents in the late third century. After his father was martyred for his faith\, his mother took the little boy back to her hometown Diospolis\, now in the modern city of Lod in Israel. \nSt George became a soldier in the Roman army\, and his bravery and discipline made him the climb ranks to become a Captain. St George was steadfast in his faith\, and\, as a Christian\, refused to bring the pagan sacrifice to the Roman emperor Diocletianus\, which was venerating the emperor as a god. He was tortured and martyred around 303 AD. \nWhile Saint George was being tortured\, Alexandra\, the King’s wife\, went to the arena\, bowed before George\, and professed her faith openly. When she questioned whether she was worthy of paradise and martyrdom without being baptised\, Saint George told her\, “Do not fear\, for your blood will baptise you.” She was denounced as a Christian and imprisoned on her husband’s orders then sentenced to death. \nSt George is often portrayed slaying a dragon. Christian tradition recounts that in a certain city\, a dragon pestered the inhabitants\, demanding two sheep a day. When there were no more sheep in the village\, the vicious dragon demanded a human sacrifice. \nThe inhabitants cast lots\, and the daughter of the city’s governor was chosen. When they were taking the crying girl to the dragon’s den\, St George passed by. When he heard what was about to happen\, he decided to intervene. He followed the girl into the den\, crossed himself with prayer and slew the fire spitting dragon before it could attack. The citizens were in awe and recognised God’s powerful works. That day many were baptised and became Christians. \nSt George sets us an example in bravery\, steadfastness and strong faith. \nSt Adoktos (Adauctus) was martyred in 320 AD. He was from Ephesus and was appointed governor by Emperor Maximin. Maximin asked Callisthene (Kalistene)\, the daughter of Adoktos\, to marry him\, but her father did not want to give her to an idolater. For being Christian\, upon the King’s order\, Adoktos was deprived of his title and property and exiled to Melitene. The local governor of Melitene also failed to convert Adoktos to the heathen religion. Remaining steadfast and unshaken in his faith\, St Adoktos was beheaded. \nHis daughter Callisthene disguised herself as a young man and concealed herself in Nicomedia. She later on went to Thrace where she lodged with a family. Callisthene healed their blind daughter and the girl’s parents\, who considered Callisthene to be a man\, asked him to marry her. Then St Callisthene revealed the truth and they praised God. \nCallisthene decided to leave in order to follow an ascetic way of life with humility. At the time\, she met Constantia (Costantsa) the sister of Constantine the Great. The emperor defended and protected Callisthene and she managed to take back her father’s property and also to transfer his relics to Ephesus. She built a Church there in order to pay homage to him. \nSt Romanos the Singer (the Melodist) is considered to be the author and creator of more than 1\,000 hymns or kontakia (hymns performed in Orthodox traditions). \nAccording to legend\, Romanos (Romanus) was not at first considered to be either a talented reader or singer. He was however\, loved by the Patriarch of Constantinople\, because of his great humility. Once\, around the year 518\, while serving in the Church of the Panagia at Blachernae\, during the All-Night Vigil for the Feast of the Nativity of Christ\, he was assigned to read the kathisma verses from the Psalter. He read so poorly that another reader had to take his place. Some of the lesser clergy ridiculed Romanos for this\, and being humiliated he sat down in one of the choir stalls. Overcome by weariness and sorrow\, he soon fell asleep. As he slept\, the Theotokos (Mother of God) appeared to him with a scroll in her hand. She commanded him to eat the scroll\, and as soon as he did so\, he awoke. He immediately received a blessing from the Patriarch\, mounted the pulpit and chanted extemporaneously his famous Kontakion of the Nativity\, “Today the Virgin gives birth to Him Who is above all being….”  \nThe emperor\, the patriarch\, the clergy\, and the entire congregation were amazed at both the profound theology of the hymn and Romanos’ clear\, sonorous voice as he sang. According to tradition\, this was the very first kontakion ever sung. The Greek word “kontakion” refers to the shaft on which a scroll is wound\, hence the significance of the Theotokos’ command for him to swallow a scroll\, indicating that his compositions were by divine inspiration. St. Romanos passed away in 556 A. D \n 
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/commemoration-of-saints-kevork-gevorg-the-captain-adoktos-and-romanos-the-singer-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/St-George.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260927
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260928
DTSTAMP:20240804T085301Z
CREATED:20211027T023140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240804T085301Z
UID:27141-1790467200-1790553599@armenianchurchsydney.org.au
SUMMARY:Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague)
DESCRIPTION:  \n\n\n\nThe Mountain of Varak\, on which was built the Monastery of Varak and the Monastery of the Holy Sign\, is at the centre of the uniquely Armenian feast of the Cross we celebrate as the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak (Varague). \nThe Armenian Church celebrates this feast two weeks after the Feast of Exaltation of the Holy Cross\, that is\, the Sunday during the period of September 25 – October 1. \nAccording to the tradition of the Armenian Church\, St Hripsime and her companions\, running away from the Roman Emperor Dioklethianos\, who had started persecutions against Christians\, reached Armenia and found shelter in Vagaharshapat. However\, before reaching Vagharshapat they stopped at Mount Varak\, which is to the southeast of Lake Van. Taking off from her neck the relic of the Lord’s Wooden Cross\, St Hripsime gave it to the praying monks living on the mountain and asked them to preserve it in one of the caves. Thus\, the sacred relic remained hidden till the seventh century. \nIn 653 AD\, a monk named Totig (Todik) and his student Hovel saw an apparition of the Cross above the mountain that led them to the sacred relic. The Catholicos of All Armenians\, Nerses III the Builder (Creator)\,  and Captain Vard\, son the Knight Theodoros\, learning about the miracle\, went to Mount Varak to personally witness The Cross. Catholicos Nerses verified the relic’s authenticity\, and established a feast in honour of the discovery. \nWith the support of the Armenian people\, the Pontiff built a magnificent church\, which in honour of the miracle was named Saint Nishan Church. The Pontiff Nerses also wrote the marvellous church hymn “By means of the most powerful sign”\, which is sung in the churches on the day of the feast. \n\n\n\nVaspurakan or Van\, was one of the most important regions in all of historic Armenia. The Mkhitarist Father Hamazasp Voskian writes that the history of the founding of the Monastery of Varak is “shrouded in mist\,” though there were clearly already monks and pilgrims visiting the mountain by the 7th century. \nIn the 10th century\, the Monastery of Varak and the other churches and monasteries on the mountain of Varak were supremely important. Although King Gagik I kept his court on the island of Akhtamar\, he directed that the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Varakavank) be built on Mount Varak. For generations King Gagik Artsruni and the Artsruni family members were buried at Varakavank. \nThe sacred relic remained at Mount Varak till 1021 AD\, when the Armenian King Senekerim Artsrouni brought the relic to Sebastia. After the latter’s death\, the relic was again transferred to its old place and remained there until 1651 AD\, when the relic was taken to Khoshab. In 1655 AD\, the relic was placed in the Church of Holy Godmother\, in Van\, which was renamed the Church of the Holy Sign. The relic was preserved there till 1915 AD. Today\, the location of the relic remains unknown.
URL:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/event/feast-of-the-holy-cross-of-varak-varague-2-2-2-2/
CATEGORIES:Feasts & Commemorations
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://armenianchurchsydney.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Varak-Cathedral-2.jpg
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