Completed 1467 Architectural style Armenian Architecture | Opened 1467 Affiliation Armenian Apostolic Church | |
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Location Leselidze Street,
Old Tbilisi, Georgia Address 41 Kote Afkhazi St, Tbilisi, Georgia Similar Church of the Red Gospel - T, Artavazik Church, Ejmiatsin Church - Tbilisi, Ptghnavank, Saint Karapet Church - T | ||
Norashen Holy Mother of God Church or Norashen Surb Astvatsatsin Church (Georgian: ნორაშენი, Armenian: Նորաշեն Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի ; Norashen meaning "newly constructed" in Armenian) is a 15th-century Armenian church located in Old Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1467 and renovated in 1650. It also underwent renovations later in 1795, 1808, and 1875.
Contents
Architecture
The church of Norashen is cruciform in plan with a single dodecagonal drum above, and twelve long windows located under a conical umbrella style dome. A small cupola sits at the peak of a gable on the roof. It has six slender columns that hold up a decorative arched hexagonal drum and small conical dome.
Public Controversy
Recently the church has been the subject of dispute between Armenians and the Georgian Orthodox Church which has sought to convert it into a Georgian Church. Among the actions taken by the Georgian church is the enclosing of the church with a concrete fence, the defacing of Armenian inscriptions on tombstones, and the bringing in of Georgian tombstones.
Georgian appropriation
It was claimed that beginning in 1983, Georgian authorities began the systematic removal of Armenian characteristics from the church. Among the changes were: