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New church in Abovian: too extravagant for the destitute
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by Astghik Sargsian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2013-05-27-new-church-in-abovian-too-extravagant-for-the-destitute
Published: Monday May 27, 2013
Mr. Tsarukyan and the church he built in Abovian.
ABOVIAN, ARMENIA - Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian built a
magnificent church in Abovian, his home town just outside Yerevan.
The opening ceremony of the newly-built Surb Hovhannes Mkrtcich on May 14
was attended by the president of the country, Serge Sargsyan, the
ex-president Robert Kocharian, and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of
Belarus. (Mr Lukashenko is reportedly a friend of Mr Tsarukian.)
On the opening day Mr Tsarukian said he granted the church ''to its real
owners, the Armenian people''. Armenia is considered the first to have
adopted Christianity as state religion, and its territory is full of
ancient churches. St Hovhannes is built in the traditions of ancient
Armenian church-building.
However, some of the ''owners'' of the church appeared apathetic towards
the beautiful present. Some Armenians view luxurious St Hovhannes as a
symbol of the gap between the rich and the poor in Armenia.
The Armenian Communist Party leader Rouben Tovmasian commented with the
words of the Armenian bard Jivani: "Look at them; they have nothing to eat,
but they build five churches.''
Marine Grigorian, 21, says,''We don't need a church right now. However
magnificent St Hovhannes might look, it can't shelter the homeless.''
Avetik Sargsian, 47, says.''A church? Feed people first, then build
churches. Did you see what was going on in the church yard?''
Avetik referrs to Mr Tsarukian's hospitality on the opening day.
Food-loaded long tables were offered to those who had attended the opening
ceremony. The crowd pushed and rushed towards the tables, pinned down to
the ground by young wait staff in white shirts, to keep the tables from
turning over under the pressure.
Hundreds of elderly people struggled to the tables for a piece of bread or
a leaf of herb. A younger woman passed a tomato to an elderly women, who
looked around at the table and couldn't pick up anything, apparently
because of poor eye-sight.
Some asked for ''matagh'': the Biblical offering of boiled meat. When there
was nothing left to eat, elderly people hurriedly put pieces of bread into
their bags. Others carried bottles of mineral water home.
[In a commentary the next day, Aravot newspaper editor Aram Abrahamyan
agreed that the scenes were"aesthetically displeasing" scenes, comparing
them to rushes on stores observed in many Western cities during holiday
discounts. He also suggested that while anyone has the right to dislike Mr.
Tsarukyan, the fairly sizable town of Abovyan did not have a church before
Surb Hovannes was built.]
Tsarukian also invited opposition figures Levon Ter-Petrosian and Raffi
Hovhannisian to the opening; neither attended but Ter-Petrosian's spouse
Lyudmila and his most trusted Levon Zurabyan were reportedly in attendance.
A senior member of Tsarukyan's party, Vartan Oskanian - who was on a visit
to the United States - also missed the opening.
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by Astghik Sargsian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2013-05-27-new-church-in-abovian-too-extravagant-for-the-destitute
Published: Monday May 27, 2013
Mr. Tsarukyan and the church he built in Abovian.
ABOVIAN, ARMENIA - Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian built a
magnificent church in Abovian, his home town just outside Yerevan.
The opening ceremony of the newly-built Surb Hovhannes Mkrtcich on May 14
was attended by the president of the country, Serge Sargsyan, the
ex-president Robert Kocharian, and Alexander Lukashenko, the president of
Belarus. (Mr Lukashenko is reportedly a friend of Mr Tsarukian.)
On the opening day Mr Tsarukian said he granted the church ''to its real
owners, the Armenian people''. Armenia is considered the first to have
adopted Christianity as state religion, and its territory is full of
ancient churches. St Hovhannes is built in the traditions of ancient
Armenian church-building.
However, some of the ''owners'' of the church appeared apathetic towards
the beautiful present. Some Armenians view luxurious St Hovhannes as a
symbol of the gap between the rich and the poor in Armenia.
The Armenian Communist Party leader Rouben Tovmasian commented with the
words of the Armenian bard Jivani: "Look at them; they have nothing to eat,
but they build five churches.''
Marine Grigorian, 21, says,''We don't need a church right now. However
magnificent St Hovhannes might look, it can't shelter the homeless.''
Avetik Sargsian, 47, says.''A church? Feed people first, then build
churches. Did you see what was going on in the church yard?''
Avetik referrs to Mr Tsarukian's hospitality on the opening day.
Food-loaded long tables were offered to those who had attended the opening
ceremony. The crowd pushed and rushed towards the tables, pinned down to
the ground by young wait staff in white shirts, to keep the tables from
turning over under the pressure.
Hundreds of elderly people struggled to the tables for a piece of bread or
a leaf of herb. A younger woman passed a tomato to an elderly women, who
looked around at the table and couldn't pick up anything, apparently
because of poor eye-sight.
Some asked for ''matagh'': the Biblical offering of boiled meat. When there
was nothing left to eat, elderly people hurriedly put pieces of bread into
their bags. Others carried bottles of mineral water home.
[In a commentary the next day, Aravot newspaper editor Aram Abrahamyan
agreed that the scenes were"aesthetically displeasing" scenes, comparing
them to rushes on stores observed in many Western cities during holiday
discounts. He also suggested that while anyone has the right to dislike Mr.
Tsarukyan, the fairly sizable town of Abovyan did not have a church before
Surb Hovannes was built.]
Tsarukian also invited opposition figures Levon Ter-Petrosian and Raffi
Hovhannisian to the opening; neither attended but Ter-Petrosian's spouse
Lyudmila and his most trusted Levon Zurabyan were reportedly in attendance.
A senior member of Tsarukyan's party, Vartan Oskanian - who was on a visit
to the United States - also missed the opening.