On October 31, 2015, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians presided over the service of reconsecration of St. Gevorg Cathedral of Tbilisi, the bishops were also participating in the service. Attending the service were Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia, accompanied by his wife; the benefactors and donors of the project to restore the church; high-ranking officials of Armenia and Georgia; Members of the Parliament of Georgia and Members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia; heads of state and regional authorities; representatives of the diplomatic corps, accredited in Georgia; the leaders of the operating in Georgia religious communities.

His Eminence Archbishop Yezras Nersisyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, His Grace Bishop Arshak Khachatryan, Chancellor of the Catholicosate of All Armenians, His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Grand Sacristan of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, His Grace Bishop Vardan Navasardyan, Director of the Christian Education Department of the Mother See sanctified and blessed with the holy Chrism the pillars, the altar, the credence table and the baptistery.

Repair of damage due to time and boosting the Cathedral’s appeal to churchgoers of the Armenian Apostolic Church was the aim of the reconstruction project launched in September 2012. It was initiated by IDeA Foundation, under the guidance of the devoted son of his nation, famous benefactor Ruben Vardanyan and his wife Veronica Zonabend. His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians blessed the initiative of the reconstruction of St. Gevorg Cathedral, the Georgian authorities supported the entire project.

Involved in the project to restore the church were both Armenian and Georgian specialists. Otar Chakvetadze assisted by other Georgian specialists was in charge of the renovation project. Architect-restorer Anatoly Solomnishvili and restoration builder Zurab Gachechiladze monitored the restoration process. The leading restoration specialist at the RA Ministry of Culture, head of the Scientific-Research Center of Restoration of Armenian Monumental Art Arzhanik Hovhannisyan, along with other specialists from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts restored the frescoes.

At the conclusion of the service, the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed his message to the attendees. His Holiness underlined that St. Gevorg Cathedral has always served its mission of spiritual, educational and cultural center of Armenians in Georgia and addressed his special words of appreciation to the benefactors, architects, craftsmen and builders. Catholicos Karekin II awarded benefactors Albert Avdolyan, Sergey Sarkisov and Bidzina Ivanishvili the Order of St. Gregory the Enlightener, the highest decoration of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, bestowed upon Constantine Margaryan, Andrey Mkrtchyan, Boris Nahapetyan the St. Nerses Shnorhali medal. Benefactors Ruben Vardanyan and Daniel Khachaturov received the patriarchal blessing of His Holiness. The Catholicos of All Armenians granted Letters of Blessing to Arthur Amirkhanyan, Aramais Kananov, Irina Kondratova, Eleonora Malkhasyan, Arman Jilavyan, Edgar Manukyan, David Davidyants, Armine Ghazaryan. The official opening of a plaque with the names of the donors of the project to restore the church took place after the ceremony.

The President of the Republic of Armenia, the Catholicos of All Armenians, official delegation and other guests saw renovated Bishop’s residence, yard and wide territory; the benefactors shared their plans for the future.

The Supreme Patriarch on the occasion of the reconsecration of Saint Gevorg Cathedral presented the church with a gift: a valuable miniature painting. The President of the Republic of Armenia didn’t come empty handed; he brought the Megerian carpet from Vaspurakan rugs collection. His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia on behalf of the clergy and benefactors presented His Holiness Karekin II with a valuable work by Hovnatanyan in recognition of his historic visit to Georgia and the reconsecration of the Cathedral.

The first Divine Liturgy in the crowded with faithful Saint Gevorg Cathedral was celebrated by the Rev. Father Yeghishe Harutyunyan.

The official reception was organized on the occasion of the solemn opening and blessing of the Saint Gevorg Cathedral. A video that told a rich history of Saint Gevorg Cathedral, spaning past and present, was shown during the reception. After that Ruben Vardanyan expressed his deepest gratitude and appreciation to all benefactors and donors who made this project possible and spoke about his plans for the future.

The Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia delivered a welcome speech:

Your Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,

Your Excellency Serzh Sargsian, President of the Republic of Armenia,

Beloved Spiritual Brothers, honorable benefactors, representatives of the diplomatic corps, accredited in Georgia!

Following the evening services and sometimes disposing to meditation service “Khokum”, when a vast silence reigned over the St. Gevorg Cathedral, the church was filled with the angelic sound of heavenly music and Armenian Church hymns. “Lord have mercy!”, “Holy, Holy!”, “Aravot Luso” could be heard, which took us back in time to pristine Christianity. This spiritual phenomenon remained a mystery, however, when the reconstruction started, hymns and chants of St. Mesrop Mashtots, Grigor Narekatsy, Nerses Shnorhali gained new meaning. The images became sharper every time after the frescoes hidden under several layers of thick paint and plaster had been discovered and restored. Images of Christian saints and murals created by Armenian artists unraveled the puzzles of symphony. Truly, spiritual melody resonated in the frescoes hidden under the layers of plaster and paint, as if they were calling upon the restorers to rescue them, and after that to save human souls by listening to the prayers of the faithful.

Today the dream of the Armenians in Georgia, particularly the Armenians in Tbilisi, came true. St. Gevorg Cathedral that heeds to our requests and prayers threw open its doors to the faithful after decades of waiting. A few years ago, when Tbilisi’s Vakhtang Gorgasali Square renovation project was launched, it became evident that the panorama should be supplemented with one precious jewel. And now the reconstructed St. Gevorg Cathedral has imparted greater completeness and integrity to the picture, has become the gem crowning the royal square. It has become a part of the symphony of the old architecture of Tbilisi and has given the picture of religious diversity, which prevails in this part of old Tbilisi, a finished look.

The words from a speech of the former Israeli president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres about dreams and the restoration of Jewish statehood can be applied to the Armenian community of Tbilisi. In fact, we also had a dream to return the St. George Cathedral to its former greatness, however, like Jews of that time, we had neither financial resources, nor other opportunities, and it has been our efforts and search that has made it possible for us to achieve it. We strengthened our faith and hope, began to pray even harder than before and began to seek the God, and one day, we discovered the image of God the Father in the dome of the St. George Cathedral with inscription that reads: “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God.” This became the foundation of our credo: in our search for God to restore the ruined temples of human hearts, let God settle down there and give their broken and revived hearts and minds the opportunity to act wisely. Truly, the efforts of our pious benefactors became the answer to the question of the God of our forefathers, if there were any that did not only seek, but love God. They build and reconstruct the House of God rather than build castles for themselves, for the glory belongs to God.

Through the efforts of our benefactors and friends, the clergy and the employees of the Diocese, we kept making progress towards fulfilling our dreams. On behalf of the faithful of the old Armenian Diocese in Georgia we are pleased to extend our words of appreciation to our dearly loved and highly respected Ruben Vardanyan and his wife Veronika Zonabend, who supported the Armenians of Tbilisi in every way possible and extended helping hand in an hour of need. We would like to express our appreciation to Albert Avdolyan, Sergey Sarkisov, Constantine Margaryan, Andrey Mkrtchyan, Boris Nahapetyan and members of their families – who believing in Ruben Vardanyan’s dream and seeing the readiness of the Armenians of Tbilisi, provided financial support for the project, and like inseparable jewel presented the church to the people, thus filling their hearts with great joy.

Involved in the project to restore the Saint George Cathedral were both Armenians and Georgians. Georgian statesman, politician and public figure, a man with a rich heart, Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili joined the Armenian brothers and through his benefactions supported the project. Otar Chakvetadze assisted by other Georgian specialists was in charge of the renovation project. Architect-restorer Anatoly Solomnishvili and restoration builder Zurab Gachechiladze monitored the restoration process. The leading restoration specialist Arzhanik Hovhannisyan along with other Armenian specialists restored the frescoes; three years of their tireless efforts resulted in a miracle. The restoration process resembled the holy cause of healing the wounds of a brave soldier guarding the borders of the country.

Armenian, Russian and Georgian intermingled in the churchyard for three years. This eloquent testimony to the friendship and brotherhood of people, who carry forward the legacy of their ancestors, is a good example to our younger generation. The presence of the Armenian and Georgian top leadership here today bears an eloquent testimony to that fact. The Armenian community of Georgia is highly honored by the presence of His Excellency Serzh Sargsian, President of the Republic of Armenia, and the Armenian elite. It is very important for the Armenians living in Georgia. The Armenians of Georgia have always felt supported by historical homeland in education, culture and other areas. On behalf of the faithful Armenians in Georgia we convey our appreciation to the Georgian authorities. In recent years the Armenian Diocese in Georgia has felt supported by the Georgian authorities and we strongly believe that the issue, concerning the restitution of the churches that has been confiscated from the Diocese during the Soviet period, will be successfully settled.

We welcome the presence of ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic corps, accredited in Georgia. We convey our brotherly love to the spiritual leaders of the operating in Georgia Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Yezidis religious communities. We welcome the presence of Armenian and Georgian public figures and art workers, representatives of the Armenian community in Georgia, guests from Armenia, Russia and other countries, which is a proof of our love and unity. We are extending our blessing to the clergy of the Diocese and the employees of the Diocesan Headquarters, who with great responsibility and willingness performed their duties. We express our gratitude to Artur Amirkhanyan, St. Gevorg Reconstruction Project Manager, for his brilliant work and dedication. We present our compliments to the artist and renovation expert, Arsen Abramyan, who painted the magnificent image of the Virgin Mary over the altar.

We extend glory and praise to God, that His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians honored us with His presence, presided over the service of reconsecration of St. Gevorg Cathedral of Tbilisi, became a source of much comfort and encouragement for the parish. We would like to extend our deep appreciation to His Holiness for His blessings and paternal attention we have felt daily during our thirteen years of service as the Diocesan Primate, as well as the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Brotherhood members of the Mother See for the provided support. On this solemn day we would like to express our brotherly love for the members of the delegation accompanying His Holiness. May the blessing of our Supreme Patriarch from the spiritual center of all Armenians, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin spread to all Armenians, the ringing bells of the Mother Cathedral always call to spiritual awakening, call everyone to come to church, call to prayer and spiritual joy. Amen.

The vicars, spiritual leaders and many honorable Armenians from Armenian-inhabited regions of Georgia presented the Catholicos of All Armenians with gifts.

In his closing statement, the Supreme Patriarch delivered his message of blessing to the attendees, after that the official delegation from Armenia and other guest returned to their motherland.

During restoration, work was conducted to strengthen and waterproof the foundation, walls and domes were reinforced, exterior plaster was removed and the original exterior was restored.

The paint and plaster were removed from the walls of the church, and particular attention was paid to the restoration of frescoes (works by masters of the Hovnatanyan Dynasty and other unknown masters). Fabrizio Jaccoppini, head of the Florence Center for Art and Historic Artefacts Conservation and Preservation, was a consultant of restoration of frescoes.

The Saint Gevorg Cathedral is one of the oldest Christian structures in Tbilisi, built in the 13th century, which was one of Armenian medieval spiritual, cultural and enlightening centers. Many manuscripts were created in the church scriptorium, which are today stored in the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts.

Eminent sons of the Armenian people are buried in the church courtyard. One of them is a famous poet and ashough Sayat-Nova. The remains of commanders Count Mikhail Loris-Melikov, Arshak Ter-Ghukasov, Behbut Shelkovnikov and Hovhannes (Ivan) Lazarev were transferred and buried in the courtyard.

The Armenian Church is home to all Armenians – this phrase certainly applies to the Saint Gevorg Cathedral in Tbilisi. For centuries Saint Gevorg Church has united Armenians living in Georgia and in Tbilisi as a whole – and has become their Home of God.