Background
Hakob Pozapalian was born in 1937 in the town of kırkhan, French Syria (nowadays in Turkey).
Hakob Pozapalian was born in 1937 in the town of kırkhan, French Syria (nowadays in Turkey).
From 1963 to 1965 Nerses studied at the Department of Theology at the College of the Resurrection in Yorkshire, England.
In 1939, his family migrated to Beirut where he received his primary education at the Noubarian Armenian College, the Armenian Seminary of Antelias, and the Central High College of Beirut. In 1957 his family repatriated to Soviet Armenia. He was ordained to the diaconate that same year by Archbishop Haikazoon Abrahamian.
He was ordained as a celibate priest in 1961 by the Catholicos of All Armenians Vazken I and given the priestly name of Nerses.
In 1962 upon the successful defense of his thesis, Nerses received the rank of Archimandrite (Vardapet) and, in 1965 he received the rank of Senior Archimandrite (Dzayraguyn Vardapet). At the same time he participated in summer courses in English culture and literature at Cambridge University.
Upon his return from England, he served as the dean of the Gevorkian Theological Seminary until 1969. From 1969 to 1970 Nerses studied at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva.
He served as the pastor for the Swiss-Armenian community from 1969 to 1972.
He served as the Primate of the Diocese of England from 1973 to 1982 and in 1974 he was consecrated as a bishop by Catholicos Vasken I.
In 1977 Nerses was awarded a special Letter of Gratitude by the Queen Elizabeth World War II The church was consecrated in 2003. On this occasion he was awarded the order of Saint Gregory the Illuminator by the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin World War II He published 10 books of poetry and sermons. Archbishop Nerses was seriously injured in a robbery attack in his home at the Mother See on February 18, 2009, and was hospitalized in a coma.
Four months later he died.
In 1999, he was elected a full member of the Humanitarian Academy of Russia.