Georgian police today prevented residents of the Armenian-populated village of Gumburdu (Javakhk) from erecting a stone cross in the yard of the local church.

A Gumburdu resident told Hetq that shots have been fired and that special law enforcement units have been rushed to the scene, blocking access to the church.

Residents of Gumburdu insist that the stone cross be erected to honor a recent cache of bones unearthed at the Holy Resurrection Church during excavations conducted by the Georgian Ministry of Culture.

At one time, the Georgian Orthodox Church claimed that Holy Resurrection was one of its own.