This is a bishop officiating in this church in Shushi.
One can notice the episcopal staff that he has entrusted to the cantor standing to his left. His richly adorned chasuble also indicates that he is no ordinary priest. The rigid collar attached to it symbolically protects his neck from the arrows of the Devil. The incense he spreads, symbolising prayers rising to God, is widely used in the Armenian rite. As in every Armenian church, the clergy officiate from an elevated position above the congregation. They stand on the bema, a sort of raised platform a few steps higher than the nave, on which the altar is placed.
Their feet are only covered by socks or slippers specially dedicated to worship, in reference to the Biblical passage where God commands Moses to remove his sandals before the burning bush. The clergy remain on the bema throughout the service, and the priest must kneel to administer Holy Communion. This Communion is given “under both kinds” as the host is dipped in wine. Beforehand, the priest recites a list of sins, inviting each member of the congregation to examine their conscience, after which absolution is granted collectively. While the faithful may sit during certain parts of the service, chairs have only been permitted from the 1920s onwards. Before that, worshippers followed the service standing or kneeling. This practice persisted until recently in some villages of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Certain annual feasts differ from those celebrated by Catholics. For instance, the Nativity is not celebrated on December 25 but on January 6, alongside the Baptism of Christ and the Theophany, which corresponds to the Epiphany. The weekly service, as well as most major religious celebrations, can only be held on Sundays.
