Ani Babaian-Khachikian Brings Isfahan to Watertown at St. James Men’s Club

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WATERTOWN — On Monday, February 2, Ani Babaian-Khachikian will be the speaker at the dinner meeting of the St. James Armenian Church Men’s Club. The topic will be “Cultural Heritage of the Armenians in Isfahan-Iran.”

Babaian-Khachikian, a native of Isfahan, Iran, holds a Master of Fine Art from Alzahra University in Tehran, where she wrote a thesis titled “Mutual Influences, New Julfa and Isfahan Mural Paintings of the 17th Century.” In Iran, she worked on numerous restoration projects, most notably murals at St. Amenaprkich Vank (Holy Savior Cathedral) in New Julfa, Isfahan. She is the author of numerous articles and has presented many public talks on Armenian and Persian art.

In 2008 she married her husband, Saro Khachikian, from Peabody, Mass., in Yerevan and in 2010 they moved to Massachusetts. In 2013 she joined the NAASR staff with her primary task the ongoing cataloguing of Mardigian Library. In 2014, she was invited to Yerevan and Isfahan to present a paper on the 350th anniversary of St. Amenaprkich Vank (Holy Savior Cathedral) regarding murals, artists and new findings discovered during restoration process.

She is also a painter who has participated in solo and group exhibitions. Her latest exhibit was “Animating the Word: The Legacy of Iran’s Minority Calligraphic Traditions” at Tally Beck Contemporary Gallery in New York (December 10, 2014-January 23, 2015).

She will present a pictorial review and a brief history of Armenians in Iran, how Armenian communities were formed in different cities with a focus on New Julfa-Isfahan’s art, culture and traditions.

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The social hour starts with mezza at 6:15 p.m., followed by a complete Armenian dinner at 7 p.m., $14 per person. The dinner meeting will be at the church’s Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center, Keljik Hall, 465 Mount Auburn St.

The event is open to the public and women are welcome.

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