KEEPING FAITH IN GEORGIA: TBILISI ARMENIANS STRUGGLE TO SAVE THEIR CRUMBLING CHURCHES FROM NEGLECT
By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
15.05.12 | 12:03
Photo: Gohar Abrahamyan/ArmeniaNow.com
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The collapse of the bell tower of the Armenian St. Nshan Church in
Tbilisi Sunday night again reminded the local Armenian community
about the defenseless status that Armenian churches have in Georgia.
While the main reasons for the collapse is considered to be an
earthquake that hit the territory a few days before as well as
unprecedented showers during the past few days in the Georgian capital,
specialists still consider that had repairs been done in time it would
perhaps have been possible to avoid such a situation. The Armenian
side has long accused Georgians of neglecting the condition of the
church and sought to take possession of it in order to make all
necessary restoration works.
Enlarge Photo
Enlarge Photo An estimated 300,000 ethnic Armenians live in Georgia
where there are also more than 300 Armenian churches. Only 40
of these churches, however, are operating ones. St. Nshan Church
is one of the six churches that are a matter of dispute between
the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church
(the others are St. Norashen, Mughnetsots St. Gevorg, Yerevantsots
St. Minas, Shamkoretsots Surb Astvatsatsin (St. Mary) and St. Nshan
in Akhaltsikhe).
Still in July where the status of legal entities was granted to a
number of religious organizations operating in Georgia, including
to the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, it seemed that the
situation would somehow be settled, however the poor condition of
local Armenian churches still remains a matter of contention.
St. Norashen Church built in 1467 is in the center of Tbilisi (in
Leselidze Street, the old Armenian market, sharing the yard with
(former Greek) Orthodox monastery Jvris Mamis, has been locked already
for many years. While the church still stands, the wide cracks on
its walls do not bode well for the construction.
The Yerevantsots St. Minas Church, which was built in 1790 in Tbilisi’s
Armenian Havlabar district is in an even poorer condition.
Inside the walls of the half-dilapidated church almost nothing reminds
of its former magnificent self. Today this church is more used as a
storage for residents of the neighboring to keep their old, useless
and forgotten items. Plastic bags with garbage are dumped on its altar.
“The diocese was registered as a legal entity, but now we must try
to register all our churches and get them back in order to maintain
them in good order. For this purpose we are drawing up a list of our
churches with all historical bases,” says Fr. Vazgen, a local Armenian
priest, adding that the matter concerns hundreds of cathedrals that
do not function today, are in a half-ruined condition and have been
Georgianized.
While the Armenian side is taking steps to recover its historical
heritage, two Armenian churches in Tbilisi continue to function for
the local Armenian community.
In one of Tbilisi’s central squares there is the St. Gevorg Church.
Last Sunday it had attracted more people for the service than usual.
The thing is that the Liturgy was performed by Fr. Tachat Davidian,
who is the spiritual head of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese’s Youth
Association. A pilgrimage from Armenia to Georgia was organized on
that occasion (with the author of this article accompanying the group).
Armenians of Tbilisi had been gathering in the church yard from early
in the morning to attend the service.
“An Armenian always needs spiritual food, and the church, especially
for those living outside Armenia, becomes a connecting link. It is
very pleasant to guests coming from the homeland,” said 52-year-old
Tbilisi resident Tariel Mirzoyan, who says he attends church every
Sunday together with his grandchildren.
Fr. Samvel Torosyan, the priest at St. Echmiadzin Church in Tbilisi,
told ArmeniaNow that in order to strengthen the link between the
Church and the local Armenian youth a cultural and educational youth
center called “Hayartun” had been established at the Armenian Church’s
diocese in Georgia. There, he said, young ethnic Armenians are enabled
to maintain their links to the homeland and keep their ethnic identity
through participation in studies of the Armenian history, ethnic songs,
dances, and other activities.