The Church of the Red Gospel ( hy, Կարմիր Ավետարան եկեղեցի, ''Karmir Avetaran Yekeghetsi''; hy, Կարմիր վանք, ''Karmir Vank'' ) or Shamkoretsots Sourb Astvatsatsin Church ( hy, Շամքորեցոց Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի, meaning ''Shamkor Inhabitants' Holy Mother of God Church'')
is a ruined 18th century Armenian church in the
Avlabar district of
Old Tbilisi
Old Tbilisi ( ka, ძველი თბილისი, ''dzveli t'bilisi'') was an administrative district (raioni) in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, from 2007 to 2013. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part ...
,
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
It was built in 1735
or 1775 or 1808,
and renovated during the 19th century.
According to Armenian sources, on April 13, 1989, the church was "blown up"
or "destroyed". Georgian officials deny that it was blown up, and ascribed its destruction to the intensity of an earthquake that had struck Tbilisi a day before.
At 40 meters, it was the tallest Armenian church in Tbilisi. Today it stands in ruins, with its cupola gone.
Gallery
Image:Church of the Red Gospel.jpg, The ruins of the church after the 1989 explosion
Image:Avlabar district of Old Tbilisi.jpg, Location of the church (upper right) within the Avlabari district
Image:Ruins of the Armenian Church of the Red Gospel, Avlabar district, Old Tbilisi.png, Closeup of the ruins of the church
Image:View from Narikala.jpg, View of the ruins of the church (top center right) from Narikala fortress
Narikala ( ka, ნარიყალა) is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Mtkvari (Kura) River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulfur baths and the botanical ...
Image:View of Havlabar (Tbilisi), in the early 1900s, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii.jpg, View of the church in historical Tbilisi
Image:The ruins of Karmir Avetaran Armenian church in Tbilisi.jpg, The ruins of Karmir Avetaran church in 2016
See also
*
Ejmiatsin Church, a nearby Armenian church
*
Armenians in Georgia
References
Bibliography
* (photographic documentation, newspaper articles)
External links
Photos
Before-and-after photos
Another set after the explosion
Old Tbilisi
Armenian churches in Tbilisi
Churches completed in 1775
Armenian Apostolic churches in Tbilisi
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