Chants of St. Nerses Scnorali performed in Church of Holy Spirit in Prague

On November 11, after the noon service with the participation of the pastor of the Czech Republic, Archimandrite Barsegh Pilavchyan, and Deacon Hayk Utijyan, the spiritual and musical heritage of the great Armenian medieval thinker, poet and composer, Nerses Shnorali, was presented at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Prague.

Archimandrite Barsegh Pilavchyan noted that the Catholicos of All Armenians declared 2023 the year of the celebration of the 850th death anniversary of Nerses Shnorali, and on this occasion, the Church of the Holy Spirit in Prague commemorates the greatest representative of the medieval Armenian chant.

Archimandrite spoke about the life and work of Saint Nerses Shnorali and described the prominent role of the theologian in medieval chanting, considering him one of the most respected priests and catholicoi of the Armenian Apostolic Church since 1166. His contemporaries called him Nerses Shnorali (“the Gracious” – ed.) for his versatility and talent.

Then, Deacon Hayk and Archimandrite Barsegh performed eight Armenian chants, first explaining the meaning of each of them.