Photos: Another Church in Central Tbilisi, St. Minas, in Despairing Condition

Another church located in the center of the capital, in the Havlabar neighborhood, is in a state of despair, despite the fact that this building was also granted monument status in 2007. The St. Minas Church was founded in 1790, and on January 2, 1883, a new St. Minas was built on the site of the old church. This is reported by the Armenian community NGO in Georgia.

The interior of the church is quite large, as clearly seen in the photos. The church has three entrances, of which only one remains today, through which one can access the church via an "Italian" courtyard (Mission. Gelati St. No 13(30)).

At various times, due to incomprehensible circumstances and the issuance of permits for illegal constructions, there are buildings along the remaining three walls of the church, except for its southern wall, making the temple invisible. During the Soviet authorities' years, the church building was used for various purposes. In 1924, by decision of the Tbilisi Central Executive Committee, the church was transformed into a regional club, and later the church building was used as a sewing workshop. Since the mid-1990s, it has been deserted.

Despite the fact that on October 1, 2007, St. Minas Church was granted the status of a historical monument, it did not contribute to the preservation of the church. On September 19, 2014, the roof of the church collapsed due to rain, after which the area was cleared of ruins, but regrettably, the roof has not been restored to this day. At the gate of one of the courtyards from Iori Street, there is a preserved old paved section, on which the half of a cross is engraved.

It is also impossible to reach the church from the mentioned gate. Leaving the church unprotected, coupled with the issuance of permits for chaotic buildings on the monument's walls or the privatization of illegally constructed structures, disputes have already arisen among the residents of the adjacent area over the territory of the church. It should be noted that the church also has a basement. In such buildings, it is customary to bury the prominent servant of the church.

According to neighbors, the inside of the mentioned building is also made of bricks, where years ago there was an old gravestone with an image of a cross. Unfortunately, it is impossible to access the basement simply because the owner of the area constructed on one of the church's walls has also appropriated the mentioned building, which has been made into a basement. We call on everyone to pay timely attention to this issue within their sphere of responsibility, before it is too late... We hope that the Georgian government, moving towards Europe, will show a proper attitude towards cultural heritage values.