KARAPETYAN HAD BETTER NOT DOUBT
Yeghishe Metsarents

Lragir.am
27/11/09

The Armenian historian, researcher, author and architecture expert
specializing in the study of the historical monuments of Armenia Samvel
Karapetyan stated on these days that St. Gevorg church collapsed in
Tbilisi in practice cannot be reconstructed any more.

Artur Grigoryan, the head of the agency on history and preservation
of monuments of the Ministry of Culture did not agree with Karapetyan
saying that the church will be restored and no one has to doubt because
the Ministry of Culture has all the needed pictures and measures.

How the Armenian Ministry of Culture restores historical monuments
became clear to everyone when the Control Chamber released the results
of its studies on different monuments situated in various regions
of Armenia which have been reconstructed in accordance with their
same appearance but, say, with travertine stone. This is of course a
new word and a new style in the sphere of preservation of historical
monuments but so, the monuments become an object of the future and
not the past. Perhaps, right this way, the Tbilisi St. Gevorg will be
reconstructed. Samvel Karapetyan had better not doubt the possibilities
of the Armenian Ministry of Culture.

St. Gevorg will be restored up to being unrecognizable. This has also
a strategical significance. Merely, we need to understand it. As we
know, Georgians and the Georgian Church have an eye on the Armenian
churches as they try to own them. The best means to struggle against
this perspective would be to give a new appearance to the Armenian
churches covering them with travertine stone, granite, euro-doors and
windows. Thus, they will become unrecognizable. Since we have restored
them, we know that those are our churches and Georgians will no longer
recognize them. And if they do, what they will try to own. Naturally,
they will be perplexed and surprised at where the ancient churches
used to stand there disappeared.

So, the most optimal way to preserve the Armenian churches in Georgia
seems to be found – they need to be euro-reconstructed.