LONDON — The Primate of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan announced this week that the centenary of the consecration of St. Sarkis Church in London will be celebrated with a series of events in early 2023.
The centenary committee has been meeting to appropriately mark this milestone in the life of the Armenian community in Great Britain. St. Sarkis Church was built in 1922 and consecrated in January 1923 in the heart of London’s Kensington neighborhood. Built by philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian, St. Sarkis is a significant community center for Armenians and has played an important role in the religious, cultural and social life of British-Armenians.
The centenary celebrations will be kicked off by a solemn Divine Liturgy on the feast of St Sarkis in 2023, with the participation of community members, as well as ecumenical and civic leaders. A unique concert by the renowned Chilingirian Quartet, led by Levon Chilingirian, will be held in the church. A book dedicated to the centenary is being prepared by Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian. A series of youth events and Armenian food fairs are in the planning.
The centenary committee members are Rev. Shnorq Baghdasarian (Pastor of St. Sarkis), Martin Essayan (St. Sarkis Charity Trust), Mr. Christopher Kurkjian (St. Sarkis Church Trust), Bedros Asslanian (St. Sarkis Parish Council, Chair), Annie Kanikanian (St. Sarkis Parish Council, Secretary), and Teni Matian (Arev Project).
