Today, at approximately 4 am, the cupola of the 14th century Saint Gevork Armenian Church in Tbilisi came crashing down. Saint Gevork was a working church up till the 1930’s and was used as a supply depot for the Georgian National Museum till the early 1990’s. Due to its precarious condition, the church stopped being used for any purpose. St. Gevork is one of the six Armenian churches in Georgia whose legal title is still in question and has not been returned to the jurisdiction of the Armenian Diocese.

Mikayel Avagyan, Assistant to the Armenian Primate of Georgia, told "Hetq" that church officials have visited the accident site and have informed the Mother See of Etchmiadzin of the situation. Mr. Avagyan said that the large dome came crashing down into the church’s interior section.

"Hetq" tried to contact the Mother See for further details but no one answered the phone at the press office. In a statement issued by the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, responsibility for the accident is laid at the feet of the Georgian Ministry for Culture and Monuments Preservation, arguing that the church fell under its jurisdiction. "All this leaves the impression that the Primate of Georgia and the Georgian government, not resolving the return of the churches to us and not paying attention to their preservation, have set about to purposefully destroy our important cultural monuments," reads the statement of the Armenian Diocese.

Photos: Marinna Pepanyan