The roof of Yerevantsots St. Minas ruined church, built in 1790, collapsed in Tbilisi on September 19, 2014, in the evening.

Yerevantsots St. Minas church was seized from the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church during the soviet years. On October 1, 2007, with the order №3/181 of the Minister of Culture, Monument Preservation and Sports Affairs, St. Minas church acquired the status of a historical monument. In 2011 a resident, neighboring Tbilisi St. Minas church on Gelati Street, and the residents of the house number 30 of the parallel Iori Street, opened a Real Estate Disposition Company on 30 Iori Street. Thus, on unknown conditions the address of the church was changed into 30 Iori Street, and the building together with its territory was privatized according to the Public Registry. The Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church has turned to the Prosecutor’s Office, raised the issue in different competent authorities of Georgia, but till now there has been no appropriate solution.

It is greatly painful for the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia that churches, historically belonging to the Diocese and then seized during the soviet years, are not returned to the Diocese.

Such collapses of churches are a result of careless attitude that continues for decades. Mughni St. Gevorg church in Tbilisi collapsed in 2009, the belfry of St. Nshan church collapsed in 2012, now it was the turn for the roof of St. Minas church.

The representatives of the Monument Preservation Agency of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Georgia also witnessed the case after the collapse of the roof yesterday.

We call on the authorities of Georgia to take necessary precaution in order to save almost disappearing historical monuments from collapses and defalcation.