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Radio Free Europe
October 15, 2012
Armenia's Christian Heritage Under Threat
October 15, 2012
As the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion,
it's not surprising that many Armenians are proud of their religious
heritage.
With a national church that dates back to A.D. 301, as well as
thousands of ancient churches and monastic sites across the country,
it's fair to say that religion looms large over Armenia's physical and
psychological landscape.
That's one of the reasons why Yerevan has in the past been quick to
criticize Georgia and other neighboring countries for apparently
neglecting their Armenian Christian heritage.
Now, however, the conservation of Armenia's own religious monuments
has come under scrutiny.
According to a recent report by EurasiaNet.org, nearly 50 percent of
the country's 24,000 Christian sites are in dire need of repair and
almost one-third are on the verge of collapse.
The main reason for this situation is a lack of funds for preserving
churches, but the Armenian public has also been blamed for not
respecting these precious monuments.
"It's not the Turks or Georgians or Azerbaijanis who are [to blame for
this]," historian Samvel Karapetian told reporter Gayane Abrahamyan.
"We are the ones littering, polluting, destroying."
The Culture Ministry has also been criticized for misspending some of
its budget on dodgy reconstruction work.
It insists that the process for allocating conservation contracts has
since been tightened up.
Nonetheless, given its limited resources, the ministry maintains that
ordinary Armenians will also have to do their bit to ensure that
Armenia's proud Christian heritage is not destroyed.
"Attitudes have to change.... Society has to become aware of the value
of [historical] monuments," says Deputy Culture Minister Arev
Samuelian. "The ministry is not almighty."
October 15, 2012
Armenia's Christian Heritage Under Threat
October 15, 2012
As the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion,
it's not surprising that many Armenians are proud of their religious
heritage.
With a national church that dates back to A.D. 301, as well as
thousands of ancient churches and monastic sites across the country,
it's fair to say that religion looms large over Armenia's physical and
psychological landscape.
That's one of the reasons why Yerevan has in the past been quick to
criticize Georgia and other neighboring countries for apparently
neglecting their Armenian Christian heritage.
Now, however, the conservation of Armenia's own religious monuments
has come under scrutiny.
According to a recent report by EurasiaNet.org, nearly 50 percent of
the country's 24,000 Christian sites are in dire need of repair and
almost one-third are on the verge of collapse.
The main reason for this situation is a lack of funds for preserving
churches, but the Armenian public has also been blamed for not
respecting these precious monuments.
"It's not the Turks or Georgians or Azerbaijanis who are [to blame for
this]," historian Samvel Karapetian told reporter Gayane Abrahamyan.
"We are the ones littering, polluting, destroying."
The Culture Ministry has also been criticized for misspending some of
its budget on dodgy reconstruction work.
It insists that the process for allocating conservation contracts has
since been tightened up.
Nonetheless, given its limited resources, the ministry maintains that
ordinary Armenians will also have to do their bit to ensure that
Armenia's proud Christian heritage is not destroyed.
"Attitudes have to change.... Society has to become aware of the value
of [historical] monuments," says Deputy Culture Minister Arev
Samuelian. "The ministry is not almighty."