One woman puts her heart and soul into a beautiful rendition of ‘Der Voghormia.’ This Armenian version of ‘Lord Have Mercy’ is more than just a display of amazing vocal talent, it is an important religious prayer asking for healing and peace.
The Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross has stood on Akdamar Island in Turkey since the year 921. Once a holy site for the Armenian Apostolic Church, it has since become a religious museum and tourist attraction.
The sordid history and near-destruction of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross makes this haunting song even more beautiful. The atrocities of the Armenian Genocide in the area during the early 1900s saw the monks slaughtered and the riches of the church looted.
In 1951, a journalist visiting the area saw the church was to be demolished and pulled as many strings as he could to save it. That is when it become a tourist attraction and even attracted a renovation project from 2005 – 2006.
Recently, at a time when the world seems to be in a state of constant war and violence, this one woman’s song reminds us all how important it is to love and care for each other.