OVER 22,000 PEOPLE JOIN PETITION AGAINST CONSTRUCTION OF CHURCH IN THE PLACE OF CINEMA MOSCOW OPEN-AIR HALL

ArmInfo
2010-03-25 15:04:00

ArmInfo. Over 22500 people have already signed the open letter against
construction of the church in the place of the Cinema Moscow Open-Air
Hall, the organizers of signature collection told ArmInfo. On March 26
the letter will be addressed to President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan,
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
and Chairman of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan.

The petition contains an appeal to cancel the governmental decision
dated February 25, according to which the territory of the hall will
be provided to the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin for construction of
a church instead of another church Surb Poghos-Petros (St.Paul-Peter)
destroyed in Soviet times. The letter says that the open-air hall has
been excluded from the list of monuments protected by the state with
obvious violation of law and without preliminary consultation with
specialists. "The Moscow open-air hall is the only open-air cinema
hall in Yerevan, and therefore plays an important role in the cultural
life of Yerevan", the letter says.

The decision to destroy the hall has received wide public response.

Over 60 public figures have urged Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan to
cancel the Government’s decision. Hayas organization from Australia
is collecting signatures in support of the hall. Over 5,000 people
have already stood up for the facility. President of the Union of
Architects of Armenia Mkrtich Minassyan says that the Government did
not consult with experts when adopting the decision.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress