Press Conference
Marking the 1700th anniversary of Christianity in Armenia

At the press conference a programme of events was presented that are to be held in St Petersburg within the framework of the celebrations to mark the 1700th anniversary of Christianity being proclaimed the state religion in Armenia.

The formal opening of the celebrations, which include festivals, theatrical and musical actions, concerts, exhibitions, sports competitions and much else, took place in Armenia on 7 January 2001. Among the central events of this jubilee year is a baptism ceremony for 1700 people in Sevan in the presence of the President of the Armenian Republic and the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos in memory of the mass baptism in the River Aratsan.

Jubilee events are taking place not just in Armenia, but also abroad in countries where there is a large Armenian diaspora, including certainly Russia.

In St Petersburg, the exhibition entitled “The Treasures of the Armenian Church from the collection of Holy Etchmiadzin” was held in the State Hermitage between June and October 2000. It was devoted to the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia and took place under the patronage of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. In October 2001 an exhibition will open in the Hermitage entitled “Masterpieces by Armenian Artists”. On 27–30 June an International Scholarly Conference took place at St Petersburg State University on “Armenia and the Christian East”. Concert programmes are taking place in the Hermitage Theatre, the Large Hall of the St Petersburg Shostakovich Philharmonia and the State Academic Kapella.

With the aim of co-ordinating the preparation and operation of the jubilee events in St Petersburg, on the initiative of the State Hermitage and the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia and with the support of the St Petersburg municipal administration, a public board has been set up headed by Mikhail Piotrovsky, the director of the Hermitage, and Ruben Akopian, Armenian Consul General in St Petersburg.

At the press- conference