Armenian Orthodox Church

Perched atop this island in Lake Van, the red stone church of Akdamar is prized by Armenians the world over as one of the finest surviving monuments of their ancient civilization. After withstanding more than a millennium of desecration, looting and war, however, one of the holiest sites of the Armenian Orthodox Church is facing ruin. Rainwater seeping through cracks in the dome is washing away biblical frescoes that adorn the interior.

The J. Paul Getty Trust failed Thursday to derail a lawsuit by the Armenian Orthodox Church that accuses the museum of harboring stolen illuminated medieval manuscripts — 755-year-old works that are masterpieces and, to the church, spiritually and historically sacred. After a brief hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Abraham Khan denied the Getty's motion to dismiss the claim. The museum's attorneys argued that the deadline for filing the suit had passed decades ago under the statute of limitations.

His Holiness Aram I, one of two major spiritual leaders of Armenian Orthodox Christians, arrived Thursday for his first pontifical visit to Southern California. The head of the church's Lebanon headquarters in the Holy See of Cilicia, he was consecrated as the catholicos, or pope, last July after serving as primate of the Armenian Orthodox community in Lebanon for 15 years.

Every seven years since AD 301, priests from around the world have trekked to the ancient Cathedral of Etchmiadzin in Armenia to retrieve jarfuls of freshly brewed muron -- a sweet-scented holy oil stirred with what is said to be the tip of the lance driven through Jesus' side -- and carry them back to their respective dioceses.

Every seven years since AD 301, priests from around the world have trekked to the ancient Cathedral of Etchmiadzin in Armenia to retrieve jarfuls of freshly brewed muron -- a sweet-scented holy oil stirred with what is said to be the tip of the lance driven through Jesus' side -- and carry them back to their respective dioceses.

The J. Paul Getty Trust failed Thursday to derail a lawsuit by the Armenian Orthodox Church that accuses the museum of harboring stolen illuminated medieval manuscripts — 755-year-old works that are masterpieces and, to the church, spiritually and historically sacred. After a brief hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Abraham Khan denied the Getty's motion to dismiss the claim. The museum's attorneys argued that the deadline for filing the suit had passed decades ago under the statute of limitations.

Glendale City Council members voted Tuesday to exempt an Armenian Orthodox church and two other congregations from a historic preservation ordinance. In a lengthy hearing Tuesday night, more than 150 church supporters and preservation advocates packed City Hall to debate the merits of preserving older buildings intact as opposed to modifying them to serve current needs.

A powerful car bomb exploded near an Armenian Orthodox church in Beirut's Christian suburb of Antelias on Friday, killing four people and wounding at least 22. Police said the blast, the second car bombing in the northern suburb in 10 days, could have caused higher casualties had it not been for the Good Friday holiday, which reduced the number of people in the area. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the 9 a.m.

City Council members voted Tuesday to exempt an Armenian Orthodox church and two other congregations from a historic preservation ordinance which, church officials maintained, curtailed religious freedoms. In a marathon hearing Tuesday night, more than 150 church supporters and preservation advocates packed City Hall to debate the merits of preserving older buildings intact versus modifying them to serve present-day needs.

Arshag Dickranian, 91, Armenian American businessman and philanthropist who established 13 schools in California. Born in Izmit, Armenia, Dickranian and his family escaped the Turkish massacre of Armenians and emigrated to Fresno in 1923. Moving to Los Angeles, Dickranian became a U.S. citizen and opened Premier Market on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills in the early 1930s. In 1950, he founded the Armenian Educational Foundation, which created 13 Armenian schools throughout the state.

Perched atop this island in Lake Van, the red stone church of Akdamar is prized by Armenians the world over as one of the finest surviving monuments of their ancient civilization. After withstanding more than a millennium of desecration, looting and war, however, one of the holiest sites of the Armenian Orthodox Church is facing ruin. Rainwater seeping through cracks in the dome is washing away biblical frescoes that adorn the interior.

His Holiness Aram I, one of two major spiritual leaders of Armenian Orthodox Christians, arrived Thursday for his first pontifical visit to Southern California. The head of the church's Lebanon headquarters in the Holy See of Cilicia, he was consecrated as the catholicos, or pope, last July after serving as primate of the Armenian Orthodox community in Lebanon for 15 years.

As many as 80 Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Soviet Union have been killed and others have been brutalized at the hands of Muslim villagers, and Soviet troops have been called in to protect them, an Armenian Apostolic Church priest said here Sunday night. The report was made by the Rev. Sasoon Zumrookhdian, who returned to the state capital Saturday after spending 10 days in the strife-torn capital of Soviet Armenia, Yerevan.

Huddled beneath a large white tent, hundreds of people sang together in the early morning darkness. For hours, they repeated a single word: Hallelujah. They were gathered last Sunday to mark Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Epiphany. For the faithful, the holiday commemorates Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan and his revelation as the son of God. Los Angeles' Timket celebration is the largest in the United States. It takes place over a January weekend each year in a parking lot outside the Forum in Inglewood.