Not building but vital city atmosphere will be destroyed

PanARMENIAN.Net - Since it is impossible for the two buildings to coexist on the same territory, the Open-Air Hall, instrumental in building the unique color of the city, will have to be removed; and this is what the Armenian society is opposed to. Only in Facebook, around 3000 people expressed their disagreement with the decision. Despite this, Reverend Father Vahram Melikyan, press officer for Holy Etchmiadzin, justifies the necessity for the realization of this project as follows, “Surb Poghos-Petros Church had stood in the place of the present Moscow Cinema since V-VI centuries before it was destroyed during the years of sovetization. By constructing a similar church on its former site, we’re restoring historical justice. The Armenian Apostolic Church strives to reanimate the faith Armenians once had and to provide everyone with an opportunity to directly communicate with the priest. The more churches there are in our city and state, the oftener we’ll turn with our sight and thoughts to God.”

“Even if one disregards the architectural value of the hall, a novelty in 1960ies, the site isn’t fit for church construction all the same. Not only the city construction norms, but also those of Armenian church construction do not do the project a credit, since they demand completely different criteria, adopted by our ancestors for creating cultural-architectural values, which were included in the world culture heritage,” Mkrtich Minasyan, chairman of Union of Architects of Armenia says.

AAC’s argument, suggesting that the construction of the church is necessary for faith reanimation, is contraposed by the fact of existence of another church nearby - Katoghike, which will neighbor the Yerevan residence of Catholicos of All Armenians in the short run.

Considering the fact that the derelict Open-Air Hall wasn’t used for its intended purpose for a long time, and gradually developed into a junkyard, the opponents of the idea insist that the situation has recently undergone a dramatic change. As for the noble mission to restore the historical-cultural monument, it can hardly be considered feasible. Surb Poghos-Petros Church was restored and renovated after the earthquake of 1679, to be destroyed ages later in soviet times.

The problem, however, lies neither in the architectural nor the historical value of this or that construction. The implementation of the proposed and mandatory-to-accomplish idea will inevitably result in repeating the fatal mistake. The destruction of the existing value, which contributes to the vital city atmosphere, and whose lack would result in many generations losing a part of their old Yerevan, can by no means be defined as reparation of historic justice.