Old Yerevan was famous for its churches before they were ruined during the sovietization, USSR People’s Artist Sos Sargsyan said.

“Any church helps create completeness of a city atmosphere. However, I think Moscow cinema open-air hall is not an appropriate place for a church. Churches are not constructed in such closeness, particularly by Armenians,” he told a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent.

The Armenian government complied with the offer of Moscow Cinema LLC on an unpaid alienation of the land-plot located at 18 Abovyan St. of Yerevan and occupied by Moscow cinema open-air hall to the benefit of Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin with property rights for construction of a new church similar to St. Poghos-Petros Church, which had stood there before it was ruined by the soviet regime.

Sos Sargsyan is USSR People’s Artist (1985), laureate of the Armenian SSR state prize (1975 – for the role of Mkrtych in Triangle film, 1967; 1979 – for theatrical work; 1988 – for participation in Matenadaran TV-film.) He is a laureate of the USSR cinema festival in Prizes for Best Performance nomination in 1986. He was a presidential candidate of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun in 1991. Sos Sargsyan was born on October 24, 1929, in Stepanavan, Armenia. He is a graduate of Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre (1954). From 1954 he performed at Sundukyan Academic Theatre and started acting in films in 1959. He is the founder and head of Hamazgain Theatre.