YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Government officials, clergy, artists and cultural figures visited the Yerevan Komitas Pantheon today, on September 26th – the 150th anniversary of birth of Komitas – to pay tribute to the founder of the Armenian national school of music at his grave.

Catholicos Garegin II delivered a prayer.

“For already a century Komitas Vardapet has crossed the boundaries of time and space with his [patriotic] and sacred song, becoming the interlocutor to the emotions the spirits of any Armenian or other national’s music-lover with the poems nourished and produced from the roots of Armenian identity,” the Catholicos said.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Arayik Harutyunyan said at the event that his favorite work by Komitas is Krunk.

He noted that Komitas has a monumental contribution in Armenian culture and the numerous events taking place as part of his 150th anniversary of birth testify to the fact that the government, the society are appreciating the arts of Komitas.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, Central Bank President Arthur Javadyan, philanthropist Gabriel Chemberjyan, scholars and many others were in attendance.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan