‘Narekatsi’: Documentary about great Armenian thinker coming soon

The documentary film “Narekatsi”, dedicated to the life and work of Grigor Narekatsi (Gregory of Narek), a Doctor of the Universal Church, will soon be released. Ruzanna Ghazaryan, the film’s author and producer, had been developing the idea of creating a film through readings of “Narek” for years. She sought answers to questions about the meaning of “Narek”, its theological, philosophical and literary imprint on human history, as well as the boundaries between faith and freedom. The project came to life after Ruzanna unexpectedly received an offer to film a reading of a chapter from Grigor Narekatsi’s “Book of Lamentations” with the participation of renowned personalities.

“We asked the cardinal, who speaks Armenian, to tell us about Narekatsi, but he said his Armenian was not good enough to do so,” said Ruzanna Ghazaryan.

A key figure in the film’s creation was Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Patriarchal Delegate of Western Europe, who served as a consultant for the film. Thanks to his efforts, leading Armenologists and theologians such as Levon Zekiyan, Abraham Terian, Father Shahe Ananyan, Deacon Hayk Utijyan, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti and others took part in the film.

“The filming took place in the Czech Republic, the US, Istanbul and the Vatican. Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti spoke about ‘Narek’ and its divine grace, as well as how Gregory of Narek became a Doctor of the Universal Church,” the film’s author told Alpha News.