Blessing of the new Khachkar in the church

Today in Riga, on the grounds of the Armenian Apostolic Church “St. Gregory the Illuminator,” a stone cross - a Khachkar - was blessed in memory of the victims of war. The ceremony was attended by the leaders of Latvia’s major religious denominations - a symbol of unity and solidarity.
According to the Ambassador of Armenia to the Baltic States, Hovhannes Igityan, this Khachkar “is not just a monument, but a stone that embodies the memory of a person or people… and it remains as long as the stone itself remains.”

This event reminds us: remembering those who perished is not only mourning, but also the unification of hearts and nations.

Photographer: Naira Kosyan