A visit to Panik, Armenia’s Catholic stronghold

Some in Armenia still refer to Armenian Catholics as “Franks,” which derives from the influence of French Catholic missionaries

by Tatul Hakobyan

Published: Saturday March 21, 2009

Faith in God and love of his own nation brought Father Anton Totonjian from the distant and warm shores of Australia to the Shirak province in the north of Armenia. For the past seven years, the senior archimandrite has been shepherding his flock in the five villages of the province, some of which are totally Catholic.

"I was born in Jerusalem, raised in Amman, and in 1965 my family and I immigrated to Australia. I became a priest in Sydney and ministered there for 20 years. I believe that more work toward preserving the Armenian identity must be carried out in Armenia than in the diaspora. People are surprised when I say something like that, but that is the truth. Serving here in Armenia, I can only play a small part in preserving the Armenian identity. We Catholic Armenians belong to the Armenian culture, to this country," says Father Anton.

Today, the number of Catholics in Armenia surpasses one hundred thousand. Although they do not live in organized communities, they live mostly in the Shirak and Lori provinces. Catholic Armenians also live in some of the villages in the Armenian-populated Javakhk region of Georgia.

Father Anton shepherds five villages in the Shirak province: Arevik, Panik, Lanjik (these three villages are completely Catholic), Azatan, and Zithankov. In all five villages there are Catholic churches, which were constructed during the pre-Soviet period.

"From here - and from Armenia in general - many leave for jobs in foreign lands, where they fall in love with foreign cultures and forget or ignore the Armenian culture, language, and religion. I am very worried. First of all I am very worried about ‘khopan' (during the Soviet years going abroad for employment was called ‘khopan'), which is destroying the family unit. ‘Khopan' existed during the Soviet years but it only lasted for three to four months. Now it lasts for ten to eleven months and families fall apart. People say that going to Russia is a necessity, but it is not so. I have proposed jobs to some of those who wanted to leave, but they did not stay, and left for Russia. This ‘khopan' destroys the sanctity of a family. In order to reduce the ‘khopan,' we need large investments and jobs," says Father Anton.

Today, there are Catholic Armenians in many counties of the world. In particular after the Armenian Genocide, Armenians from Cilicia and Ardvin united with the tens of thousands of Catholic Armenians scattered throughout the world. Today there are large communities of Catholic Armenians in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, the Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, the United States, Romania, Hungary, and other countries.

The head of the Armenian Catholic Church is Patriarch Nerses Petros XIX Tarmouni. His residence is in the famous Bzommar Abbey in Lebanon. The prelacy of the Catholics of Armenia, which oversees the communities of Armenian Catholics in Georgia and Western Europe, is in Gyumri and led by Archbishop Nshan Karakeheyan.

"There was a time when the Apostolic and Catholic Armenians did not marry with one another. Thank God that was in the past and today there is no such issue. They live in harmony and there is no distinction between them. Apart from small differences, in everyday life, in traditions, there are almost no differences between Catholic and Apostolic Armenians," says Father Anton.

However, some people still call the Armenian Catholics "Franks." In other words, if you meet an Armenian in the northern regions of Armenia and in Javakhk who says he is a Frank, then he is a Catholic Armenian.

During recent years, however, this word is slowly being dropped and not being used and the distinguishing lines between Armenian Apostolics and Catholics are slowly disappearing. Today Armenian Catholic students from Javakh and Shirak studying in Yerevan freely enter an Apostolic church and light a candle.

"This spring the construction of the Mother Church will begin in Gyumri," says the senior archimandrite, hinting that Gyumri might become the center for Catholic Armenians.

The village of Panik in Shirak was once considered the center of Armenian Catholics because it is a large village with 3,150 residents. The ancestors of those living in Panik came from the Khastur village of the town of Alashkert in Eastern Armenia in 1812.

"When our forefathers moved here, there were rivers on both sides of the village and taking that beauty into consideration they named the village Zvarjadzor. During the Revolution there was a revolutionary committee here headed by Arshaluys Panyan; the village was named Panik after him. Even before our forefathers came there was a town here," says Hrach Salnazarian, head of Panik village.

After its establishment and during the Soviet years, the main occupation of the people of Panik was agriculture and cattle-breeding.

"Today the main source of income of the village is neither from agriculture nor from cattle-breeding, but from labor in foreign countries. Each year more than a thousand people leave Panik for seasonal work, mainly to Russia. Because of the international crisis some of them will be forced to stay here in Panik, but there are no jobs here. This year some work groups returned from Russia without money. The residents of Panik mainly leave for Sochi, Rostov, Yakutsk, and distant Kamchatka. There are about 30 families from Panik established in Kamchatka from the Soviet era," says the village head.

Today the youngsters of the village in particular have no occupation. It is also the absence of jobs that forces many young people to leave for other countries, mainly Russia, even though earning money has become harder because of the crisis.

"There are more than a hundred shuttered homes in the village. People have left Armenia with their families," says Mr. Salnazarian.

Seyran Baghdasarian, a resident of Panik, recounts that villagers have many difficulties. "We cannot keep many animals as we do not have enough pasture. Almost all the people in the village keep one to two animals as there are no pastures. There was a time when the government paid benefits to those in difficult social conditions. Then they reviewed that and those who have even one cow cannot receive benefits. Some of the villagers preferred to slaughter their cows in order to continue receiving benefits," he complains.

The lands of Panik are not very fertile; if rain comes there will be a harvest, if there is no rain, there will be no harvest. During the Soviet era there was planned farming and state care; sugar beets were grown here and there was a sugar factory in city of Spitak.

"On average each family in the village has one hectare of land, but the fertility of our land is low and we can plant only wheat and barley. At the most we receive three tons from one hectare of land and then only when we use fertilizers. Irrigation water is scarce. The Mantash reservoir only provides enough water for drinking and we receive irrigation water once a year. Pears and apples grow very easily here, but we suffer from lack of water," Mr. Salnazarian explains.

Since Panik is a village of Catholics, sometimes they receive help from their sister city in the Venice region in Italy.

"Sometimes they help with money. Sometime they send parcels. They have supplied furniture for the kindergarten, school, and health center," says Mr. Salnazarian.

In 2001 the late Pope John Paul II visited Armenia. This was a grand event for the Armenian Catholics of Armenia.

Cardinals visiting Armenia from Venice, as well as members of the Mekhitarist Congregation sometimes stay in Panik, where a Catholic church was constructed before the revolution and was renovated with the funds of the villagers during the Soviet years; a rare thing in the life of the Soviet empire, which propagated atheism.

"Even though we are Catholic Armenians, we also worship the Holy See of Etchmiadzin. We do not call ourselves ‘Franks,' but when they say that we are ‘Franks,' we do not reject that name," explains Mr. Salnazarian with a laugh.