It would be too costly to relocate residents living in old structure

The Catholic Church built in the mid 1850s in the Slabotka neighborhood of Gyumri has long since lost its former significance. Its external facade and interior have also suffered over the years.

The structure was partially destroyed by the 1926 earthquake. The church’s dome came crashing to the ground. In the decade that followed, families left homeless by the earthquake took up residence within its walls. Later on, private homes were built on surrounding church property. “My father was 14 years-old in 1926. He relates that early one morning the quake struck and the church dome came tumbling down with a part of the walls,” says Hakob Hovhannisyan, who lives in a house just twenty meters from the church. “I been living here since I was born in 1941. People have always been talking about the church being restored, how they won’t let it stay in this condition. But the Catholics now want to build a new one over there in that depression. It’s a mistake. When the Franks built the church they made it so the dome of the church would be equal to that of the Holy Savior Church in the square.” Hakob says that everyone would like to see the church restored and that he wouldn’t mind moving as a result. But no one seems to discussing the matter today. It would cost less to construct a new church than restore what remains.

Sousanna Hakobyan, one of the church squatters, says that her husband’s family took up residence in the church back in the 1940s. “We always figured that the church would be restored one day. That’s why we haven’t repaired the place ourselves. Our neighbors up top have a son they wanted to marry off. They asked the Catholics what exactly would happen to the church and if they’d be evicted. That was two years ago. I guess the answer was that we could stay because the boy repaired their spot.” Naturally, it’s somewhat surprising to see a balcony built into the church wall. The steps built by residents are also off-putting. The family of Varsik Yeranosyan, who live on the church’s second floor, have gotten used to living where they do. Rouzanna, her daughter, says that you can expect the unexpected by living in a church. “We always thought that it was sacrilege to live in a church; to build a shower, toilet and kitchen in the house of God. People would tell us it wasn’t a good idea and that the deaths in our family were a kind of retribution for what we have done. Sure, we have installed gas and made repairs, but we’d sell the place and move out if the opportunity arises.” Mrs. Varsik says that since the day they purchased they place they have felt like renters. “We used to hear sounds in the night after locking the door to go to sleep. We’d get up to see if anyone was creeping around, but we never saw anyone,” says Rouzanna, following up on her mother’s story. The Yeranosyans told me that all these strange sounds and sights disappeared about two years ago after the Catholic Church declared that the site would be abandoned and when residents started repairs on their own. “The Catholics visited about 6-7 years ago. They offered us about $20,000 to leave the church. We had agreed. But there were others who got greedy. Some demanded $60,000 and up to $100,000 to leave. The officials probably figured the cheapest solution was to let us stay here,” Mrs. Varsik says. Father Grigor Mkrtchyan, a priest with the Gyumri Catholic Diocese, said the idea of building a new church came about when they realized the futility of evicting residents from the semi-destroyed St. Astvatzadzin Church with the funds they had envisaged. This was when the state had started to allocate $4,000 certificates to homeless families towards the purchase of new homes. The Church was offering $20,000. The Catholic Church thought it only had to deal with ten families residing in the ruined church. It later turned out that other families had also moved in. Now, they faced the daunting task of compensating some twenty families. In addition, the Church had to purchase replacement housing for families that had built homes on the surrounding property grounds. “We would have to spend 1.5 million Euros to build a new church. We have this amount. 70% was raised in donations. The Catholic Diocese purchased the construction site back in the 1990s. We only had to relocate one house on the site. It would cost us 2 – 2.5 million Euros to compensate the families at the old church and restore it. Some families were demanding astronomical amounts. It was a no-brainer to build a new church instead,” says Father Grigor.

The cornerstone of the new church was consecrated on December 8 during a ceremony jointly officiated by the Plenipotentiary of the Holy See to Transcaucasia, Monsignor Claudio Gugerotti and Father Vahan Ohanyan, Primate of the Catholic Church in Armenia, Georgia and Eastern Europe. The new Holy Cross Church, which will soar 26 meters above the ground, is scheduled for completion in 2013.  The main architect, Hakob Jivanyan, says that since the site lies within an active seismic zone the foundations of the church will be circular, rather than square. The Catholic Church hopes that one day the government will return the old church to its jurisdiction, having been illegally appropriated during the Soviet period. Father Grigor says that if the church is returned it will be restored and converted into a museum. The priest says there is a need for a Catholic house of worship in Gyumri since there are many adherents. He noted that this doesn’t mean they are competing with the Armenian Apostolic Church. “We recognize our place in society and are not seeking to become equals with the Armenian Apostolic Church. Our church has never preached separation, only unity, with the Armenian Apostolic Church.”