Gregory of Narek / Grigor Narekatsi

A poet and monk from the 10th century (c. 951-1009), one of the most eminent minds in religious poetry during the Armenian Middle Ages.
He spent all of his life withdrawn in his monastery and is the author of numerous odes, elegies, and homilies.
His most important work that is the most loved by Armenian people, on par with the Bible, is the ""Book of Lamentations"" known as ""Narek"".
In conversation with God, in a long monologue consisting of poetic prayers, Gregory entrusts his heart and soul to God. Every possible emotion is to be found jostling together in this book: hope, fear, love, faith, anguish, repentance and tears. Gregory wanted to redeem the sins of humankind. He held dialogues with souls caught in the trap of their sins. He has left us a remarkable work which may perhaps form the basis of the Armenian soul.

Frédéric Fringhian