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A concert marking the 150th birthday anniversary of renowned Armenian composer and priest Komitas was held at Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, one of the oldest churches in Rome, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.

The concert performed by the Deacons Choir of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was organized by Embassies of Armenia to the Holy See and Italy in cooperation with the Western European Pontifical Delegate.

The event was held under the auspices of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Before the concert, Armenia’s Ambassador to the Holy See Karen Nazaryan and Armenian Ambassador to Italy Victoria Baghdasaryan delivered joint remarks, hailing the composer’s works as a continuation of ancient Armenian cultural heritage which created musical culture in Europe in the early 20th century.

They stressed that the 150th anniversary of the prominent Armenian composer was included in the UNESCO Calendar of anniversaries of eminent personalities and important events of 2018-2019.

Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See and Italy, diplomats, high-ranking clergymen and a large number of representatives of the local Armenian communities attended the jubilee concert.