Defending the Armenian Church in Georgia
Asbarez
Nov 28th, 2009
Demonstrations outside the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan. Photo by Andre Arzoo
BY ANDRE ARZOO
YEREVAN-Armenian students and activists gathered at Yerevan’s Republic
Square on November 24 and marched toward the Georgian Embassy in
protest of the Georgian Government’s intentional neglect of the
numerous ancient Armenian Churches within its borders, as well as its
restriction against officially registering the Armenian Apostolic
Church as an active diocese in today’s Georgian State where several
hundred-thousand Armenians reside.
St. Gevorg Mughni Chruch.
The demonstration against the Georgian Government’s policy was an
active and outspoken response to the recent collapse of a wall of the
ancient `Mughni Surp Gevorg’ Armenian Apostolic Church, on Nov. 19,
2009 in Tbilisi, Georgia – illustrating the tragic consequences of
such policies of discrimination & religious intolerance.
The damage and collapse caused by the lack of maintenance and upkeep
was to such a degree that nearby buildings were also damaged within
the Sololaki District of the Georgian Capital (The Georgian Times).
Surp Gevorg Church remains closed due to its critically deteriorating
condition, and unfortunately, is not the only Armenian Church
suffering from such circumstances in Georgia.
St. Norashen Church, Tbilisi.
The ancient Armenian `Surb Norashen Church’, also located in Tbilisi,
Georgia, dates back to 1467 A.D. and was closed off from any religious
activities in the 1930’s by the then Communist Govt., and instead, was
used as a book depository much like many other religious sites at the
time.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly Independent State of
Georgia purposely neglected returning the Armenian church to the
Armenian Apostolic Church Diocese in Tbilisi – gating off the church,
destroying ancient Armenian tomb stones, and boarding up the church
instead.
An Armenian Tombstone. Photo by Andre Arzoo
Chairman of the Armenian Center of Cooperation in Georgia, Karen
Elchyan, has categorized this process as `Georgian-ization,’ where the
government has intentionally isolated & boarded up Surp Norashen
Church; restricting public access, encircling it with concrete walls
displaying Georgian Crosses, and initiating a campaign to annex
Norashen to the neighboring Georgian Orthodox Church, claiming it as
one of its own.
A U.S. State Department’s Global Report in November 2005, describing
the state of religious freedom in the Georgian Republic, declared:
`Many problems among traditional religious groups stem from property
disputes. The Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches have been
unable to secure the return of their churches and other facilities
that were closed during the Soviet period, many of which later were
given to the Georgian Orthodox Church by the [Georgian] State,’ the
report states, noting that `the prominent Armenian church in Tbilisi,
Norashen, remains closed, as do four other smaller Armenian churches
in Tbilisi and one in [the region of] Akhaltsikhe.’
Among the 29 Armenian Churches functioning in Tbilisi in the beginning
of the 20th-Century, only 1 remains active. Many analysts and members
of the Armenian Community in Georgia view this as an attempt to
completely assimilate or drive out what remains of this centuries old
ethnic-Armenian population.
What is needed now is decisive action within the Armenian Diaspora
today by petitioning their influential community organizations, such
as the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the Armenian
Assembly of America (AAA), youth organizations, student groups, who
are active within the Armenian-American Community, as well as other
communities, so as to lobby their respective governments for support.
Inside the Norashen Church. Photo by Andre Arzoo. Our worldwide
Armenian network not only has the access but also the resources and
potential determination to rally their respective host countries
toward pressuring the Georgian Govt. to not only protect and
rehabilitate centuries old Armenian Churches, but to also register the
Armenian Apostolic Church, and other active religious groups, as legal
religious entities within today’s Georgian Republic.
The several hundred thousand strong Armenian Community in Georgia
deserves the same rights of religious and ethnic tolerance as their
brethren enjoy elsewhere, let’s not take our rights and good fortune
for granted.
Please help reverse the Georgian Government’s campaign, by signing
this petition urging influential organizations within the Armenian
Diaspora to lobby their respective governments to mobilize and take
action in defense of our ethnic and religious heritage.