NOT ONLY THE FUTURE OF CHURCHES BUT ALSO OF GEORGIAN ARMENIANS IS IN DANGER

AZG Armenian Daily #080, 04/05/2005
Concern

The Patriarch of Georgia has found new justification for appropriating
the Armenian churches of Georgia: meeting the chairman of Armenia’s
National Assembly on April 29, Ilya II claimed that Surp Astvatsatsin
of Norashen in Tbilisi was built on the spot of a Georgian church.

“This is a disputable issue. Armenians say it is Armenians and
Georgians say it is Georgian. For that reason we suggested creating
a joint commission that will study the issue in calm atmosphere”,
His Holiness said.

In recent years, when the Georgian Orthodox Church has been
“privatizing” and consecrating Armenian churches one after another
and when the gradually weakening Armenian community makes desperate
attempts to stop it, the clergy explains: “This church was Georgian
once, the rich Armenians bought it and turned into Armenian one”.

This is in effect a new justification of Ilya II to appropriate the
Armenian churches. Theoretically, it is possible that there was
a Georgian church in the place of, say, Surp Norashen dated 15th
century. Let’s assume that there was once indeed a Georgian church
in the place of Norashen but how likely is it that all appropriated
and georginized Armenian churches took once the place of Georgian
ones. The Georgian Orthodox Church, which has sunk into medieval
fanaticism lately, prospers also in appropriating Greek and Russian
Orthodox churches.

30 Armenian churches have been handed over so far, another 9 are a
point at issue. Artur Baghdasarian emphasized the necessity to put
the issue of the 9 Armenian churches on the agenda.

Ilya II’s offer of joint commission cannot settle the dispute as
it may hold meetings for years but reach no final result. Armenian
historians will claim the Armenian identity of churches and Georgians
will state the opposite.

It’s easy to distinguish Armenian and Georgian churches outwardly,
as the latter does not have belfry. Today as well, churches that
are being built all over Georgia have no bell towers. If a Georgian
church still has a belfry, that means it was once taken over and is
either Armenian and or Greek.

Armenians have built hundreds of churches not only within the frontiers
of their historic territories but also out of them. Outsiders razed
or appropriated part of them.

The future of Georgian Armenians is largely connected with the future
of the Armenian churches. Wherever Armenians set a foot, they built
a church first of all. In “rebirthing” Georgia, appropriation of
other Armenian cultural institutions, such as schools, theatres etc,
may follow the appropriation of the churches. Without the church and
the school there may be no Armenian identity. If the Georgian state
continues its insulting, discriminatory and suspicious policy, there
will hardly remain any Armenian in the country because of emigration
or assimilation.

By Tatoul Hakobian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress