Gevorkian Theological Seminary ( ''Gevorkyan Hogevor Č̣emaran''), also known as Gevorkian Seminary ( ''Gevorkyan Č̣emaran'', ), is a theological university-institute of the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

opened in 1874. It is located in the town of

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Armenia, 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border ...

(Etchmiadzin) within the complex of the

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (), known in Armenian as simply the Mother See (Մայր Աթոռ, ''Mayr At’oř''), is the governing body of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is headquartered around Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etc ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

History

Nineteenth century

In May 1869 Catholicos Gevorg IV laid the cornerstone of the Gevorkian Seminary on the grounds of Etchmiadzin. The seminary was under construction from 1869–1874 while the Armenian Church negotiated its opening with the Tsarist government. On 28 September 1874 the seminary building's completion was celebrated. On 5 October 1874 the Caucasus Commission told the Armenian Church that the tsar had approved the seminary charter and it was allowed to open. The seminary had its first graduates during the 1885–86 academic year. Gevorkian seminary Vagharshapat

Graduates of the seminary included

Komitas Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas (; 22 October 1935), was an Ottoman-Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of musi ...

, a pioneering

ethnomusicologist Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

and arranger of church music. The seminary also prepared teachers for secular schools. During the first 43 years of existence, the seminary prepared 43 clergymen/teachers who in turn provided education for thousands of students.

Early 20th century

20th century figures who graduated from the seminary include Catholicos Gevork Vl Chorekchian, Karekin l Hovsepiants (Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia), Ruben Ter-Minasian,

, Avetik Isahakian, and Levon Shant. During and after the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was filled with massive numbers of refugees. Catholicos Gevork I and the director, Bishop Karekin Hovsepiants, decided to temporarily close the seminary in December 1917. On 28 June 1928, Catholicos Gevork V applied to the president of the Peoples Commissariat Council Sahak Ter-Gabrielian to reopen the seminary. A building was allocated, but the government confiscated it stating a temporary need. It was never returned to the church and is currently the State Central Archive of Armenia. Gevorkian Seminary

1945 reopening

On 1 November 1945 the seminary reopened. On 6 September 1945 educator and English language specialist Minas Minasian was appointed director. In 1951 the first nine students graduated.

21st century

In 2001–2002 the Ministry of Education of Armenia granted the seminary the status of a Religious University.

Structure

The academic council is the governing body of the seminary. The council is headed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. The educational methods committee of the seminary has a consulting role. The members of the committee are selected through the initiation of the academic council, approved by the Catholicos. In November 2015, the cultural committee of the seminary was formed. Currently the seminary has the following chairs: *Chair of

Biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

. *Chair of Historical Theology. *Chair of Christian Doctrine. *Chair of Practical Theology. *Chair of Philology. *Chair of Humanities. The seminary offers bachelor, master and PhD degrees in the above-mentioned fields.

References

External links

Gevorgian Theological Seminary
{{authority control Universities in Armenia Universities and colleges established in 1874 1874 establishments in the Russian Empire Buildings and structures in Armavir Province Armenian studies Armenian seminaries in Armenia