Divers Bulletin no. 20 (216) / June 5, 2006
News
ARMENIAN CHURCH ASKS FOR THE RETROCESSION OF A MUSEUM
BUCHAREST – The Archbishopric of the Armenian Church in Romania asks
Minister of Culture and Religious Affairs, or MCC, Adrian Iorgulescu, in an
open letter, for the retrocession of Ana Melik House, the current
headquarters of Theodor Pallady Museum in Bucharest.
The document says the state abusively confiscated Ana Melik House, located
on 22 Spatarul Street in Bucharest, back in 1967.
Virgil Nitulescu, secretary of state in MCC, claims the Romanian state
legally took possession of Ana Melik House three decades ago. The house is
the headquarters of Pallady Museum and has been subject to litigation at the
Bucharest Court of Appeals in Bucharest since 2000. The litigation was
between the Armenian Church and Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs.
The Parish of the Armenian Church claims ownership upon the dwelling that
has been asserted since 1924. By Royal Decree, the Armenian-Gregorian Church
in Bucharest was assigned the dwelling through Ana Meliks testament. The
church owned the dwelling until 1969, when it donated Melik House and the
field to the Executive Committee of the Peoples Council of Bucharest
Municipal.
Ana Melik House is registered on the List of Historic Monuments in Romania.
It is the eldest authentic building in Bucharest, preserved with its initial
design in 1760.
Author: DIVERS
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