On October 2, with the blessing of the Catholicos of All Armenians, a ceremony was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to inaugurate a workshop for restoration and conservation of museum artifacts.
The workshop, established at the initiative of the Catholicos of All Armenians on the premises of the Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury, was supplied with necessary equipment through the Japanese government’s Grassroots Cultural Grant Program, with support from the Embassy of Japan in Armenia and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU).
The opening ceremony was attended by Japan’s Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Yoko Anazawa; AGBU Armenia President and Central Board member Vazgen Yacoubian; representatives of Armenian museums; restoration specialists; officials from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Armenia; and Japanologists.
Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan conveyed the blessing and words of appreciation of the Catholicos of All Armenians to the participants.
In his opening remarks, Father Asoghik Karapetyan, director of the Mother See’s museums and archives, spoke about the activities of the new workshop and thanked the Japanese government and the Armenian General Benevolent Union for their support.
Japan’s Deputy Ambassador to Armenia Yoko Anazawa, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation and voiced hope that the equipment provided would be used for the restoration and preservation of museum exhibits.
Vazgen Yacoubian spoke about the longstanding cooperation between the Mother See and AGBU, stressing that artifacts preserved in museums bear witness to the people’s identity and historical memory. He emphasized the importance of equipping the workshop with innovative technology that will contribute to restoring and preserving those artifacts intact.
The new workshop will make it possible to expand the display of the Mother See’s museum collections by properly presenting to the public spiritual and cultural artifacts currently kept in storage.
