Praise To The Mother Of God

Grigor Narekatsi was born in a village on the southern shores of Lake Van into the family of the theologian Khosrov Antsevatsi. From a young age, he was closely associated with the Monastery of Narek in the Rshtunik province, from which he took the name "Narekatsi". He was a student of his maternal uncle, the philosopher Anania Narekatsi, who was the Abbot of the monastery. Grigor lived and worked at Narekavank until the end of his life. While ancient manuscript biographies and his own autobiographical references provide limited details, the information regarding his life is considered highly authentic. His masterpiece is the poem "The Book of Lamentations" (Matean Voghbergutyan). As a musician, he breathed new life into medieval Armenian professional music, particularly through his development of the "tagh" (sacred song). The Armenian Apostolic Church has canonized Grigor Narekatsi as a saint. A chapel was built in his memory on the grounds of Narekavank, where his remains were interred.