"Life Under the Sign of the Cross" - Tirayr MARTIKYAN

Tirayr Martikyan's article "Life under the Sign of the Cross" is devoted to an autobiographical account of the childhood, youth, and spiritual formation of the author — a native of Beirut who later became a bishop, head of the Armenian dioceses of Romania, Bulgaria, and Baku. The narrative is structured as a chain of personal recollections, encompassing the family's move to Soviet Armenia in 1947 and the years of study at the St. Etchmiadzin theological seminary.

Introduction and Biographical Context

The author briefly introduces himself: born in 1930, he received his elementary education in the Armenian schools of Beirut, then studied at the Jarangavorats school in Jerusalem. In 1947 the family repatriated to Armenia, where they encountered the harsh Soviet reality — everyday hardships, shortages, and modest living conditions in Yerevan.

Entering the Theological Seminary and the Years of Repression

The pivotal narrative node is the decision to leave the Institute of Foreign Languages and enroll in the St. Etchmiadzin theological seminary. In this section, the author:

• describes the atmosphere of the Stalinist deportations through the story of his friend Adam Adamyan, taken with his family to Siberia and, decades later, finding Martikyan already a bishop;
• recounts his own detention and interrogation by state security officers, who accused him of "espionage" because of a mistranslation of the word "scout" as "razvedchik" [intelligence agent] — an episode made public only more than half a century later.

Everyday Life at the Seminary

A substantial portion of the recollections is devoted to the everyday and creative side of monastic life:

• the joking nickname "Chuto" and football episodes that changed his peers' attitude toward the "terter" [priest/seminarian];
• friendly interaction with the military unit stationed near the monastery walls;
• restrictions on movement in the border town of Etchmiadzin and the dependence of the school schedule on the monastery's single automobile;
• the "trick" of an accelerated Vardananats church service, which allowed the seminarians to gain a free day.

Creative Activity and the Participation of Catholicos Gevorg VI

A separate place is given to the story of the author's participation in a musical staging of scenes from the opera "Anush" (the part of the main heroine), followed by parallels with a production of the opera on the Baku stage and an unexpected meeting with well-known performers, including Gohar Gasparyan. The article also cites episodes of examinations held in the presence of Gevorg VI, Avetik Isahakyan, and Derenik Demirchyan, illustrating the church leader's keen interest in the education of the seminarians and the era's characteristic blend of spiritual and secular culture.

Conclusion

The key conclusion of the article is that the author's personal history reflects the broader historical experience of the Armenian diaspora and church under Soviet realities — a combination of religious service, repressive pressure, cultural life, and human solidarity. The memoir text is valuable both as an eyewitness testimony of the era and as a document revealing the inner life of the Etchmiadzin theological seminary in the mid-20th century.