Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR) – SOAR-US-2017
Auction Ends: Dec 17, 2017 10:00 PM EST

Handmade in Armenia

Nareg Prayer Book and Decorative Keepsake Box

Item Number
241
Estimated Value
400 USD
Opening Bid
200 USD

Item Description

Nareg Prayer Book and Decorative Keepsake Box.

Item Special Note

Born circa 950 to a family of scholarly churchmen, St. Gregory entered Narek Monastery on the south-east shore of Lake Van at a young age. Shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, Narek Monastery was a thriving center of learning. These were the relatively quiet, creative times before the Turkic and Mongol invasions that changed Armenian life forever. Armenia was experiencing a renaissance in literature, painting, architecture, and theology, of which St. Gregory was a leading figure. The Prayer Book is the work of his mature years. He called it his last testament: "its letters like my body, its message like my soul." St. Gregory left this world in 1003, but his voice continues to speak to us.

Written shortly before the first millennium of Christianity, the prayers of St. Gregory of Narek have long been recognized as gems of Christian literature. St. Gregory called his book an “encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” It was his hope that it would serve as a guide to prayer by people of all stations around the world.