YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The exhibition of documents opened in the National Archives of Armenia on December 20 was dedicated to the 100th death anniversary of Mkrtich Vanetsi Khrimian, that is Khrimian Hayrik, the Catholicos of All Armenians, the torch-bearer of the Armenian freedom, and the artist of idea and freedom. The exhibition mainly includes the manuscripts, letters, documents of the period, when Khrimian Hayrik was the Catholicos (1892-1907), as well as numerous wirtings and letters addressed to him. The scientists and clergymen gathered on the occasion of the 100th death anniversary of patriarch Khrimian in the National Archives once again appreciated the spiritual and public activities of Khrimian Hayrik during that difficult period for the Armenians. Archbishop Navasard Kchoyan, the eparchical vicar of the Ararat patriarchal diocese, expressed conviction that Catholicos Khrimian is contemporary today as well with the activities he conducted: "His thoughts and ideas can be used with the same rightness today as well. Khrimian Hayrik not only led the spiritual activities the right way, but was also after the public-political events of those times. With an insight decent for a skilful political scientist, he exposed the policy of the European states towards the Armenians in the congress held in Berlin in 1878," the eparchical vicar of the Ararat patriarchal diocese stressed. In the conviction of Ashot Melkonian, the Head of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, at the end of the 19th century Khrimian Hayrik made a very important revelation for the Armenians with his skilful spiritual-political activities during that period of vital significance for the Armenian people: "A person should work on himself/herself in order to save himself/herself." The participation of Khrimian Hayrik in the 1878 Congress of Berlin became a turning point for the Armenians. The wise clergyman and political figure clearly saw that the Armenian people can exist only "due to its own power and thought," and that if it relies upon foreign states, it will be drawn to its end.

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