On April 8, 2017, the Calouste Gulbenkian hall of the Hayartun Center at the Armenian Diocese in Georgia hosted a lecture titled “Jerusalem’s The Armenian Quarter”. The initiative of the founding director of the Sergei Parajanov Museum, artist and photographer Zaven Sargsyan, to give a lecture on the Holy Places in Jerusalem, particularly the Armenian Quarter, in the great period of Lent, was welcomed by the Armenian community of Tbilisi with great pleasure and profound gratitude.

In attendance were First Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Georgia, Artur Sargsyan; the editor of “Vrastan” (Georgia) newspaper Van Bayburtyan; representatives of Armenian community in Tbilisi.

The occasion was honored with the presence of the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan.

The attendees enjoyed a slideshow of photographs highlighting the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, St. Mark’s Monastery, the Cathedral of Saint George, the Holy Translator’s School, the Armenian Garden, historic and religious buildings, they also learned that the Armenian Quarter is inhabited by Armenians, and here life runs its course. The Armenian Quarter’s most prominent site is St. James Cathedral, where the Armenian clergymen bring their service.

The speaker also talked about the ties with Armenia during the lifetime of Sergei Parajanov, the years spent in Ukraine, the talented film director’s unfulfilled projects and dreams. Zaven Sargsyan spoke about the Sergei Parajanov Museum, a tribute to one of the greatest figures [or auteurs] of 20th-century world cinema, an entertained questions from the people present.