The decision of the Cabinet on Moving Immobile Historic and Cultural Monuments made on September 13 has caused a big fuss. Let us remind that this decision was made, in order to organize an exhibition in the History Museum of Armenia dedicated to the independence of Armenia, for which 63 immobile historic and cultural monuments were brought to Yerevan from regions for 4 years.
Edmon Marukyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, for example, has written a letter to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia concerned that the historic and cultural monument considerably loses its scientific, cultural and spiritual value, when it is moved from its original place to somewhere else. The MP also inquired whether there was any government body that was aware exactly how many and what monuments had been moved from their original places for the past years, where they had been moved to, for what purpose and why they hadn’t been returned.
www.aravot.am asked Suren Hobosyan, the head of the ethnography department, Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Republic of Armenia, to comment on the matter. Mr. Hobosyan said during a conversation with www.aravot.am that one could move only those monuments or units, which are in the bordering regions, are under threat, something casual might destroy them, or were away from settlements, in that case there was a danger that they might collapse and be lost. “And those monuments, which are in busy places and gained a right to be visited by people long ago, the point in moving them is incomprehensible. Generally, the main purpose of moving should be the monument’s preservation and security,” the specialist said.
Talking about the fact that the sundial of St. Grigor Bardzrakash Church – a monument, for which tourists went to Lori and were ready to climb down into the 600m-deep canyon – had been brought to Yerevan, Mr. Hobosyan assessed moving that watch as a crime. “It is literally a crime, St. Grigor Bardzrakash Church of Dsegh is in a very poor condition, as it is, and there are so many other things that are much worthier than the sundial, brilliant capitals, pedestals and pillars, which cannot be moved either. At the end of the day, the time will come when our country will be able to restore that marvelous thing; St. Grigor Bardzrakash Church is one of the heights of our architecture and taking even a crushed stone from there is a crime,” Mr. Hobosyan said.
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He gave an example – passing by the village of Chiva, region of Vayots Dzor for many years, he always thought of taking the capital on the roadside to the museum of Yeghegnadzor, “The capital is not there now, they haven’t taken it for sure, probably, while repairing the road, they pushed with a bulldozer and covered it with ground. Such things are to be transferred and not the sundial of Dsegh. There are 100 sundials in Armenia, shall we bring them all to one place and destroy the monuments…?”
By the way, tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., a group of civil initiatives will organize a protest outside the Government Building against the “emigration” of monuments.
Gohar HAKOBYAN
