Epress.am News from Armenia
HIMA Youth Movement posted an event on Facebook yesterday through which it is asking that construction surrounding the Holy Virgin (St. Katoghike) Church in downtown Yerevan be stopped immediately and a more acceptable development project be approved.
“The 13th century Holy Virgin (St. Katoghike) Church in downtown Yerevan that has withstood numerous earthquakes and Soviet mincing is today endangered. This time, the talk is not of tearing it down, but distorting the historic environment,” reads the HIMA statement.
The current plans include building the approximately ten times larger St. Anna Church and complex next to St. Katoghike, which will become the Yerevan residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians. Construction work has already begun.
According to HIMA activists, the construction work affects not only St. Katoghike, but also the surrounding architecture and the entire intersection of Sayat Nova and Abovyan streets.
There are over 290 Facebook users “attending” the event called “Stop Desecrating Katoghike!”
Photo: tsirani.blogspot.com