President of Armenia and First Lady attend reconsecration ceremony of Tbilisi St. George Cathedral

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and First Lady Rita Sargsyan attended reconsecrationceremony of one of the most ancient churches of Tbilisi, St. George Cathedral on October 31. Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II, Primate of the Diocese of Georgia Bishop Vasken Mirzakhanian, donors of the church reconstruction project, many guests and followers of Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in Georgia participated in the ceremony. The ceremony was presided by His Holiness Karekin II.

Former Georgia Prime Minister and church donor Bidzina Ivanishvili was also present at the event.

The ceremony was succeeded by the opening of a memorial plaque with the names of the church reconstruction project donors written on it.

The Reconstruction Project of St. George Cathedral in Tbilisi was launched in September 2012. The project encompasses: reconstruction of St. George Church to befit its status of the Cathedral of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church in Georgia, repair of damage due to time, earthquakes and groundwater; establishment in the Cathedral of a cultural center capable of uniting the Armenian community of Tbilisi, boosting the Cathedral’s appeal to churchgoers of the Armenian Apostolic Church and foreign tourists.

The project is implemented by the Foundation for Reconstruction of St. George Cathedral. The scope of the Foundation’s activities includes fundraising for the Cathedral’s reconstruction, management of financial assets, as well as technical guidance of the Cathedral’s reconstruction and restoration of the frescoes.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, blessed the initiative of the reconstruction of St. George Cathedral, with the Georgian authorities and Municipality of Tbilisi supporting the entire project.

A flagship program of IDeA Foundation, reconstruction of St. George Cathedral aims at preserving Armenian historical and cultural heritage outside Armenia. The reconstruction of the cathedral in Tbilisi will ultimately enable the Armenian community in Georgia to lead a full-fledged spiritual and religious life St. George Cathedral is being recreated in order for Armenian Georgians to unite around it and help Tbilisi maintain its distinct and everlasting colors.

The Cathedral of Saint George is a 13th-century Armenian church in the historical quarter of Tbilisi, Georgia's capital. Dedicated to Saint George (Surb Gevorg in Armenian), it is the cathedral of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is located in the south-western corner of Vakhtang Gorgasali Square (Meidani) and is overlooked by the ruins of Narikala fortress.

According to Armenian historians Hovsep Orbeli and Levon Melikset-Bek the church was founded in 1251. The date was proposed based on an Arabic inscription on a khachkar over the western door of the church yard. According to 13th century chronicler Hovhannes Erznkatsi, the church was built by Prince Umek of Karin (Erzurum). Jean-Michel Thierry wrote that the cathedral was commissioned in 1251 by a wealthy merchant named Umek of Karin (Erzerum) who settled in Tiflis in the 13th century, and married Princess Mama Vahtangian, the daughter of Hasan Jalal Vahtangian, Grand Prince of Khachen (ruled 1214-1261).

However, the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia website claims that the church existed long before 1251 and that the Arabic inscription does not prove that the church was built in the 13th century and Hovhannes Erznkatsi refers to the church being rebuilt and not built by Umek.

According to Thierry, the church was thoroughly restored in the 17th century, and then again in 1832 and 1881. The most recent renovation of the church began in 2012. Some $3.5 million was spent on its renovation, which was completed in 2015. The reconstruction was financed by Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation and donations of philanthropists Albert Avdolyan, Sergey Sarkisov and Rusudan Makhashvili, Danil Khachaturov, Ruben Vardanyan’s family, former Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, and others.