ISSUE OF NORASHEN SURB NSHAN CHURCH TO TOP ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN CHURCH
LEADERS’ MEETING AGENDA
Azg/arm
5 March 05
The Armenian diocese of Georgia issued a press release yesterday in
regard to the incident with the Armenians Surb Astvatsatsin church of
Norashen in Tbilisi. Daily Azg’s March 4 issue highlighted the issue
of this 15th century Armenian church in Leselidze Str in Tbilisi that
the Georgian Church attempts to appropriate. It must be noted before
turning to the release itself that during the last 15 years the
Georgian clergy, spearheaded by Iliad II Patriarch, took hold of and
consecrated few Armenian churches in Tbilisi including Kusanats Surb
Stepanos church, Surb Bethlehem, church of Khikho and others.
The Armenian Diocese blessed the Armenian and Georgian youth and hopes
to resolve the conflict surrounding Norashen during high level
negotiations
On 3.3.2005 a peaceful action planned by the Armenian-Georgian Youth
organization, which assembled more than 200 youth, took place in the
Centreof Tbilisi. The youths set out at the Cathedral Sioni located
near Norashen, then moved on to the latter and ended at the Armenian
Church Surp Gevorg. The Georgian youth joined the Armenians in this
peaceful action to express their disagreement with the actions of
Georgian priests aimed at the appropriation of Armenian Churches and
to underline the fact that not all Georgians support this position. At
Surp Gevorg they lit candles and received blessings from Father
Abgar. In his address to the youth, Father Abgar remembered former
times, when both nations observed mutual pilgrimages, with faithful
Georgians visiting Holy Etchmiadzin to take part in the liturgy with
Armenians and Armenians in turn came to Svetiskhoveli. He mentioned
this tradition was surprisingly kept alive even during Soviet times,
when religion was suffering suppression.
Unfortunately, despite the goodwill of the Georgian youth who had come
to express their solidarity with the local Armenians, many of them
refused to enter the Armenian Church Surp Gevorg and stayed outside in
the courtyard. Some of the Armenian youth decided then to continue
their action by planting their tents in front of Norashen and were on
the verge of declaring a hunger strike.
After the prayers and an appeasing sermon by Father Abgar, the tense
situation among the youth was defused and some of the Georgian youth
came forward to receive Father Abgar’s blessing. The Georgian and
Armenian youth then peacefully ended their action.
The Armenian Diocese hopes to be able to solve the tensions
surrounding Norashen and Surp Neshan on a high level during future
negotiations betweenKarekin II, the Catholicos of all Armenians and
Iliad II, the Patriarch of Georgia.
For recollection, tensions relating to the 17 years old conflict
around Norashen had arisen again after the obvious attempt by Georgian
priests to change historical facts. The Armenian Diocese had already
communicated these factsin a former Press Release of February 28.
A few months ago, hundred year old Georgian grave stones, carrying
Georgian inscriptions, suddenly appeared in the courtyard of the
Armenian Church Norashen. Rather, they were transported here. Our
photographer and cameraman had filmed these stones still wrapped in
their iron wires, thrown randomly intothe church’s courtyard. In the
meantime these stones have been neatly lined up and safely installed
along the church’s wall. The reasoning behind is crystal clear: these
actions serve to “prove” that the church is in fact a Georgian
orthodox one, as according to the words of the Georgian priest, Father
Tariel, “The Armenians would have never let the Georgians bury in
their dead in front of their own church”. At the same time as the
Georgian stones were brought from an unknown cemetery to Tbilisi, the
Armenian ones, located on the other side of the church were found
vandalised – the Armenian inscriptions had been destroyed.
Armenian Diocese in Georgia