Saint Paul and Peter Church, Yerevan

Saint Peter and Paul Church Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի
File:Poghos-petros from south-west.png Saint Peter and Paul Church
Religion
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Status	destroyed in 1931
Standort
Standort	In the corner of Astafyan St. (now Abovyan St.) and Bzhshkakan St. (Tumanyan St.), today cinema "Moscow" place, Kentron District, Yerevan, Armenien
Architecture
Typ	late medieval three-nave basilica
Style	Armenian
Completed	4th-6th centuries

Saint Peter and Paul Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի, Surb Poghos-Petros yekeghetsi) was a 4th-5th century Armenian church in Yerevan, Armenia, that was destroyed in the 1930s. It was located at the site of what is now cinema "Moscow" on Abovian Street in Yerevan's Kentron District.

History

According to an Armenian historian Karo Ghafadaryan, the Saint Peter and Paul church was the oldest and biggest church in old Yerevan, which was built in 5-6 centuries. But it was not the only church in Yerevan. In fact, when in 607 new elected catholicoi of Armenia, Abraham, assemble a meeting in Dvin with the clergymen from the territories controlled by the Byzantine Empire, invite two priests from Yerevan. That means in old Yerevan there were at least two big churches. In the 17th century French traveler Jean Chardin visited Yerevan. In his description about Yerevan he mentioned that there were many churches in old Yerevan, but he didn't mention any church with name "Saint Peter and Paul". In 1679, calamitous earthquake destroyed many buildings. And Saint Peter and Paul church was ruined, too. After this earthquake in the ruins of the church (mainly survived in the eastern part), was built a new church with the same name. About the construction of the new church there are not any mentions. Probably, the new church was built in the end of the 17th century. In the khachkars interlinked in the eastern and northern walls of the church Karo Ghafadaryan found years of 1691 and 1692. And in two lapidary inscriptions Karo Ghafadaryan found that the church was recounstructed in 1778 and 1820. In the first inscription, which was located in the arch in the southern façade, was written that the church was reconstructed in 1778. And in the second inscription, which was engraved in the northern wall, said that the church was reconstructed in 1820 by the financial help of the city population. This inscription was interesting, because it was new thing that people help to reconstruct a church. This was new, because before churches were built or reconstructed by individuals, and building a new one or reconstructing churches by the financial help of people was a new thing in history of Armenia.

Destruction

In 1931 Saint Peter and Paul church was destroyed and was built cinema "Moskva". Some parts of the church walls and wall-paintings survived. They are now in Yerevan History Museum and History Museum of Armenia.

New church and public controversy

In February 25, 2010 the Armenian government has approved a proposal of the management of Moskva Cinema Ltd. to alienate the territory currently occupied by its outdoor theater (in 18 Abovyan Street) in favor of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin - for the purpose of building a new church on the site of the Saint Paul and Peter Church that was destroyed by the Soviet regime in 1930s.

The decision raised a clamor both among public and architects. Since the reconstruction plan was announced an initiative group called SAVE Cinema Moscow Open-Air Hall has quickly enlisted 5,000 members. The group recently addressed the Catholicos of All Armenians, Garegin II, and the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, calling for a thorough public debate on the reconstruction plan., and they are still waiting for their replies. Some intellectuals in Armenia have actively spoken in defense of the cinema house, which is considered an architectural monument. Over 60 Armenian intellectuals have sent an open letter to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan with a request to revise the decision on construction of a church at the place of the open-air cinema hall.In response representatives of the church accused the critics of the construction of lacking due respect for God.

Gallery

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  The altar.

See also

• Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Yerevan
• History of Yerevan

References

• Template:Hy icon ՍԲ. ՊՈՂՈՍ-ՊԵՏՐՈՍ by Lyusiya Arakelyan in “Iravunk de facto” newspaper

Further reading

• Karo Ghafadaryan, Երևանի միջնադարյան հուշարձանները, վիմական արձանագրությունները (Monuments and lapidary inscriptions of Medieval Yerevan), 1975, Yerevan
• Yervand Shahaziz, Հին Երեվանը (Old Yerevan), Mughni Publishing, 2003, Yerevan