On August 5, 2017, the “House of Hovhannes Tumanyan” Center for Science and Culture opened its doors at 18 Amaghleba Street in Tbilisi (Hovhannes Tumanyan’s last home in Tbilisi), turning a new page over in the history of Georgian-Armenian cultural ties.

This truly historic event was the return of the 100-year-old home of the Great Tumanyan to the Armenian community of Georgia. The home has gladly hosted Aghayan, Komitas, Shirvanzadeh, Isahakyan, Papazyan, Mar, Iashvili, Tabidze, Grishashvili, Bryusov and others, as well as hosted literary conversations, reading sessions, conferences, discussions on printed and original books and studies on the samples of Armenian, Georgian and world literature.

After Georgia’s declaration of independence, the home of the Poet of All Armenians was alienated from the Armenian community, and its destiny was catastrophic. The unused library section pertained to the private owner, and the heirs were left with a dilapidated home.

The home of Tumanyan was granted to its lawful owner through the unwavering efforts of former President of the Union of Writers of Armenia, the late Levon Ananyan and with the support of former mayor of Gyumri and current Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Vardan Ghukasyan and Co-Chair of IDeA Foundation Ruben Vardanyan. The repair works, improvement and furbishing of the home donated to the Georgian-Armenian Diocese were carried out through funding provided by the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, IDeA Foundation and the Diocese.

Among the participants of the opening of the renovated home of Hovhannes Tumanyan were delegates of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; state and political figures of Georgia and the Republic of Armenia; diplomats; guests from the Russian Federation and various cities and regions of Armenia; heads of community organizations and Tbilisi-Armenian intellectuals.

The opening ceremony of the Center began with a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Hovhannes Tumanyan at Khojivank Pantheon of Armenian writers and public figures and a Requiem Service performed under the presidency of the Primates of the Armenian in GeorgianDiocese and the Diocese of Tavush region of Armenia.

The ribbon for the “House of Hovhannes Tumanyan” Center for Science and Education was cut by Deputy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Vardan Ghukasyan, Executive Director of IDeA Foundation Edgar Manukyan and Executive Director of the Main Office of the Jinishian Memorial Foundation in the USA Elza Manasyan. The clergy performed a blessing ceremony at the newly opened Center.

The Center’s director Gisane Hovsepyan gave a speech on the activities of the Center and the future milestones.

Head of the delegation of the Mother See, Primate of the Tavush Diocese, His Grace, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan read the blessing and kind wishes of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, as well as the congratulatory remarks of RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan and RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Georgia Yuri Vardanyan.

The return of the home to the community and the repair and improvement works were presented in a film shown at the event.

The showing of the film was followed by welcoming remarks by Director of the House-Museum of Hovhannes Tumanyan in Yerevan Narine Tukhikyan; President of the Union of Writers of Armenia Eduard Militonyan; son of Levon Ananyan and Director of Armenpress Aram Ananyan; President of the Union of Writers of Georgia Maghvala Gonashvili; President of the “Vernatun” Union of Armenian Writers of Georgia Zhora Snkhchyan; poet and translator Givi Shahnazari and Director of Hayartun Center of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia Levon Chidilyan.

Afterwards, benefactors and contributors gave their congratulatory remarks in which they wished that the Center serves its purpose.

The song by soloist Anna Badalyan and the recitation by Liza Torosyan and Levon Chidilyan, along with Zhanna Davtyan’s marionette, conveyed the everlasting love that the Armenians have for the great poet.

The event ended with a speech by Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, His Grace, Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, who expressed his words of gratitude to all the benefactors and supporters for carrying out the pro-national act and returning the historic home of Tumanyan to the Armenian community of Tbilisi and donated the paintings by well-known Tbilisi-Armenian painters Meruzhan Shahumyan and Tengiz Mikoyants.

What is interesting is that the guests had also come with presents. Among them were president of the board of trustees of the Torch Organization Sos Sahakyan, Lamara Atoyan from Moscow, as well as Meruzhan Shahumyan, Tengiz Mikoyants and Valiko Arakelyan from Tbilisi and others.

From now on, the newly opened center next to Tumanyan’s home will hold literary, scientific, educational and cultural events, and one of the halls will be named after Levon Ananyan and will host meetings with Georgian and Armenian writers and discussions. The Center will also establish a center for research on and development of ethnography and the cultural relations of art figures, a puppet theater, a branch of the AGBU Armenian Virtual University, a museum of spiritual and cultural heritage and a library.