“Restoration of Gandzasar Monastery would cost Armenian Maecenas cheaper, and would be carried out within law, if he addressed to the Armenian Association of Architects and Restorers,” said the Chair of the Association Gagik Soghomonyan .
“Yet in 1989, the Association elaborated a project of Gandzasar Monastery restoration, however it remained in archives,” Soghomonyan told a press conference in Yerevan.
He also noted that the Association invites the initiator of Gandzasar restoration Maecenas Levon Hayrapetyan to start consultations for Gandzasar Monastery and other projects.
“If he addressed to us he would cut down restoration expenses five times, and could initiate restoration of other monuments as well,” said the Association Chair.
In turn, Deputy Chairman of the Association Stepan Nalbandian said that it is not late to save Gandzasar yet. According to him, there is information that the coating of the fence will be demolished and the previous look will be recovered.
“However these are only talks. When the coating will be demolished, we’ll consider it a victory, and will think over further steps in the issue of Gandzasar restoration,” said Nalbandian adding that innovations are not acceptable for historical monuments.
In May 2011, Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church addressed the department for protection and study of historic monuments at NKR government for permission to restore the monastery fence, naming Moscow-based Armenian businessman, oligarch Levon Hayrapetyan as the project sponsor and initiator.
As the head of the department Slava Sargsyan reported earlier, the department didn't intend to give permission, concerned that the monastery will lose its historic and cultural value. The fence will be turned into a modern construction, thus losing a chance to be listed among UNESCO-protected monuments.
Coating of 13 century fence surrounding Gandzasar Monastery in Nagorno Karabakh aroused stir in Facebook and amid bloggers and art lovers. According to Facebook poll, presently 2163 people opposed to coating of monastery fence, with only 42 favoring the idea.
