Georgians Building Office on Ruins of Armenian Church

Kristine Aghalaryan
11/5/2011

A new office building that will house the Samtskhe-Javakh Regional Administration in Georgia is being constructed on the ruins of the Holy Savior Armenian Apostolic Church in Akhaltskha.

Local Armenians say that the church once housed the diocese and that Archbishop Karapet Bagratouni is buried on the grounds.

Holy Savior was built in 1883 and operated as a church till 1953 when Russian troops were deployed in Akhaltskha. The Russian military then erected an officers’ headquarters on the remaining church foundations.

Construction workers at the site, some who refused to give their names, said told Hetq that they weren’t ripping down the old structure but merely slicing off a layer or two to restore it to its original shape when it was the officers’ headquarters.

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