Ejmiatsin Church, Armenian church in Avlabari district, Tbilisi, Georgia
Ejmiatsin Church, also called Nor Ejmiatsin, stands at 18 Armazskaya Street near Avlabari Square. As recorded in 1837 it had a small bell tower and no dome; a later reconstruction added a dome on round supports. Its three entrances include a western door leading into a rectangular room projecting from the main volume.
According to a report by the church's builder and later priest Ioann Martirosov-Voskerchants, about 200 Armenian families from Ejmiatsin settled in Tbilisi in 1806, most in Avlabari. Construction began that year and was completed by 1808–1809. All building inscriptions in the church date to 1846, and the main sponsor was the Tbilisi benefactor A. Tairyants.
The name Nor Ejmiatsin, "New Ejmiatsin", comes from the settlers from Ejmiatsin who founded the church; the Armenian diocese still holds services here. In July 2014 the church was attacked, which the diocese called a crime committed on ethnic and religious grounds.
The church stands on Armazskaya Street 18, a short walk from Avlabari Square and the metro station of the same name. Three entrances open into the building, the western one leading into a rectangular narthex that projects from the main volume. Restoration work funded by the Argentine diaspora has been under way since 2006, so parts of the exterior may be under scaffolding.
The church's Armenian name, Nor Ejmiatsin ("New Ejmiatsin"), comes from the settlers from Ejmiatsin who founded it; a report by its builder and later priest, Ioann Martirosov-Voskerchants, records that about 200 Armenian families were resettled and that the church was begun in 1806, when they had no church of their own. Construction inscriptions inside date to 1846, and the main promoter was the Tbilisi benefactor A. Tairiants.
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