By Sose Grigoryan, ARISC Fellow, Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia
July 28, 2021, at 5:00-6:30 PM Tbilisi Time (9:00 AM EDT)
The project presents History of Armenian Catholic Church. It presents all objective historical events and context in which Armenians living on the territory of Ottoman Empire adopted Catholicism and as a result of Russian-Turkish war (1828-1829), had to migrate and settle in Shirak, Tashir, and Lori regions of modern-day Armenia, as well as in Javakhk, currently the Georgian provinces of Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki, and Ninotsminda (former Bogdanovka). The research is based on two major methods – ethnographic fieldwork conducted in all Armenian Catholic villages, and the research of archival materials, literature and scientific sources about Middle Eastern Studies, Religious Studies, Armenian Studies, arts, literature and Catholic religious communities. Modern ethnographic experiments are also applied to the project. The goal is to expose the problems of this religious community and demonstrate that Armenian Catholics are an integral part of the administrative-territorial unit of the Armenian people and their issues are broadly the same as Apostolic Armenians. The project draws upon the results of the analysis as well as observations of the role of “faith” and “custom” of this historical, religious strip.
Sose Gregoryan is a recipient of the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) Small Grant for fieldwork in the Armenian Catholic regions of Georgia. Sose is a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology, National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia. Her research focuses on a religious culture of Armenian Catholics. Sose Gregoryan obtained her MA degree in Armenian language and literature from Yerevan State University. She is a participant of various international conferences and an author of publications.
This talk is organized as a part of ARISC Online Event Series that showcase the work of ARISC fellows. ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran.