The Soviet Regime and Decline of the Armenian Church and Religion
Dr Hratch Tchilingirian, 5 November 2013, Oriental Institute, Room 1
This lecture will discuss the establishment of Soviet rule in Armenia and the near extinction of the institutional church, especially in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40's. The Church suffered heavily under decades of Soviet rule, anti-religious propaganda and was stripped bare to its liturgical functions. This process furthered the "secularisation" of the church that had started in the 19th century. Particular focus will be on the relationship between the Armenian Church and the Soviet-State in the context of the 'Repatriation' of Armenians from the Diaspora to Soviet Armenia in the mid-1940s.
