Georgian-Armenian Bishop Concerned About Loss of Identity, Unity

While the strong Armenian cultural identity in Javakhk is enviable, it also creates a problem. Davtyan said, “Although being a part of Georgia, and Georgian citizens, the Javakhk Armenians do not speak Georgian. This creates issues with the regime. Imagine that a Javakhk deputy in the Georgian Parliament cannot speak Georgian.”

This has led to campaigns by the Georgian government to encourage learning Georgian, he continued, but there is a second, related issue. If the teacher of Georgian in a Javakhk school was himself born in Javakhk and does not know Georgian well, he cannot teach it well to the students. Davtyan said, “The state must secure good Georgian teachers. I always say this when speaking with the government. There are retraining issues. When new teachers are sent to work for a certain amount of time there [to Javakhk], let it be for one or two years, they should be Georgian, so that they can speak Georgian and the student when communicating with his teacher is forced to learn Georgian.”

Educational and Cultural Activity

The Armenian Church plays an important cultural as well as religious role in Georgia. Bishop Davtyan pointed to the loss of identity taking place there, and said, “This is why we attempt more to attract to the church through our activities and our offices, so youth have the opportunity to serve church and through their service and work spread the word to their coevals, preaching church, family, and traditions. Today our concern is to maintain traditions.”

One issue, he said, is simply that due to the decrease in the Georgian-Armenian population after independence, many intellectuals and artists now live and create abroad, especially in Armenia.

Around half of the Georgian Armenians today speak Armenian, though they do not know how to read and write. Only a small number in Tbilisi can read and write as well as speak Armenian. Most graduated Russian or Georgian-language schools. There are only two Armenian schools in Tbilisi, the bishop said, though 20 years ago there were 11.

All schools in Georgia are state-run, including the Armenian ones and there are no Armenian universities in Georgia. Those who know the Georgian language better tend go to various universities in Tbilisi, while those who want to continue their education in Armenian go to Armenia. As Bishop Davtyan declared, “Thank God, Armenia is not very distant.”

Bishop Davtyan said that in the cities where there are Armenian churches, next to each church is what in the US we would call Saturday or Sunday schools. They are primarily for people who have not attended Armenian schools but want to learn Armenian and their history and literature. In Georgia they are called cultural centers.

Davtyan said, “Everywhere in our churches throughout Georgia we teach the Armenian language and literature. We have placed the emphasis more on culture, so that their song, dance, instruments, traditional clothing, and Armenian cuisine (especially for future brides) are studied. There are Armenian festivals concerning different Armenian foods which are conducted throughout Georgia. For example, recently we did the harissa festival during Poon Paregentan [“Day of Good Living” feast before the fast of Lent]. We have a dolma festival. We have a ghapama [stuffed, baked pumpkin] festival [during michink, the median day (halfway point) of Lent].”

He explained who the target audience for these festivals is: “These are first of all for our people, so that they learn, especially the young generation, about what historical foods we have, but also, we invite our friend nationalities, whoever wants to come or participate can come. There are also families which want to learn how to make these Armenian dishes, and they participate in the festivals afterwards.”

There are a variety of Armenian cultural organizations in Georgia. Some of them are affiliated with the Diocese and some are not, but most seem to work with it. The Vernatun Union of Armenian Writers of Georgia, for example, cooperates closely with the church. The Armenian Painters Union, Armenian Doctors Union and many other such associations, which often started in the Soviet era, work under the patronage of the Diocese. The Diocese also runs the Hovhannes Tumanyan House-Museum in Tbilisi.

The Petros Atamian Tbilisi State Armenian Drama Theater, founded in the mid-19^th century, is being renovated by the Georgian state, Davtyan said, and will reopen this year by the summer or fall at the latest. Internal technical issues like lighting are now being completed. The drama group itself continues its activities in different parts of Georgia. It has performed several times in the Shota Rustaveli central theater of Tbilisi and the Griboedov Theater, as well in Armenia. The majority of its presentations, Davtyan continued, are in the Armenian language, though sometimes the works of new authors of Tbilisi and Georgia use a mixture of Georgian and Armenian words.

There are two Armenian-language newspapers published in Georgia, and several other periodicals. The Republic of Georgia supports the “official” weekly newspaper called Vrastan [Georgia]. Bishop Davtyan observed that there is a general press body belonging to the state Ministry of Culture which oversees its finances as well as that of other newspapers. He said, “It is a completely Armenian newspaper, all written in Armenian, and dealing with Georgian-Armenian issues as well as Armenia. It is possible to say that it is a fully independent newspaper. It has no problem on writing on any issue connected with Armenia and the Armenians.” There is also Arevik, a children’s monthly written in the Armenian language, and the Georgian-Armenian Writers Union publishes a yearbook.

There is an active non-governmental organization, Vrastani Hay Hamaynk [The Armenian Community of Georgia], which officially was founded in 2008 in Tbilisi but with roots in an earlier organization dating from 2004. Bishop Davtyan said that it publishes its own Armenian-language newspaper, Miutyun [Union], which also deals with Armenian issues, concerning Georgia, Armenia and the diaspora. The organization itself carries out various youth and cultural activities. According to its website, its goals are to form an organized and strong community to protect its collective rights, help the Georgian state prosper, and promote friendly and mutually beneficial relations between Georgia and Armenia.

Davtyan said that there are no newspapers in the Georgian language, but there is a Russian-language newspaper concerning minorities living in Georgia, including Armenians, called Kavkaski Vestnik [Caucasian Bulletin]. He said that there are some Armenians among its editors, along with others. There are also various Internet-based news sites for Georgian Armenians.

Bishop Davtyan pointed out that a number of translations of books of Armenian authors into Georgian have been published recently. At present, there is a project to translate the David of Sasun epic into Georgian. He said, “We do all this not for our Armenians to read and understand but to introduce our Armenian [heritage] to Georgians.”

The various schools get textbooks in the Armenian language from Armenia, and teaching of the Armenian language, Davtyan said, is done simply in Armenian. Armenian history and literature at the various cultural centers are usually taught in the Russian or Georgian languages, depending on what is appropriate for the current group of students. Teachers prepare their lectures without a concrete textbook, translating whatever is necessary.

Davtyan noted one important factor which helps in preserving Armenian identity in Georgia. He said, “Maintaining ties with Armenia is not difficult for the youth. Those who desire it can keep relations with Armenia. Youth groups on different occasions always visit Armenia, while various types of groups come here from Armenia….We are adjoining [countries] and can visit Armenia at any time. What is important is the desire.”

Disputes over Control of Churches and Cemeteries

There are only two working Armenian churches today in Tbilisi, St. Echmiadzin and St. Gevorg, which is where the headquarters of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Georgia is located (many know of it because it is where the tombstone of the famous minstrel Sayat Nova is located).

There were many more Armenian churches in Tbilisi prior to the Soviet period, as the population of the city was majority Armenian. During the Soviet period, the government confiscated most church edifices, Armenian and Georgian, and some were destroyed. At the end of the Soviet period, churches began to be restored to their original owners, but Georgian nationalism led to attempts to take over originally Armenian churches.

The return to Armenians of historically Armenian churches that were made Georgian Orthodox at the end of the Soviet period, Bishop Davtyan said, will be a difficult thing to achieve. However, there are churches which are called contested. Their status has been frozen by the state. Bishop Davtyan said that their status appears more resolvable at present and the Armenian Church continues to attempt to get them returned.

He said, “We on our part each time, on every appropriate occasion, and through letters and other suitable methods, make reminders about these churches that we as the Armenian community, the Armenian Church, await their return.”

Some of the contested churches whose status is frozen are in a physically precarious state, requiring renovations. For example, Bishop Davtyan said, “As far as the Shamkhoretsots Karmir Avetaran [Red Gospel] Church is concerned, this is a half-ruined church. Great efforts are being carried out so that we can, at least in the area adjoining that church, conserve it until there is a decision about transferal, and at that time we can restore it.” Nearby construction projects at present endanger the state of the remaining parts of this church.

1 of 2

The old and extremely large Armenian cemetery of Tbilisi was taken over by the Georgian Church which erected a gigantic new cathedral, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, commonly known as Sameba, on its territory between 1995 and 2004. Only a small portion of the Armenian cemetery remains at Khojavank (or Khojivank). Also known as the Armenian Pantheon, this is where many famous Armenian intellectuals such as the 19^th century writers Raffi (Hakob Melik-Hakobian), Grigor Artsruni, and Hovhaness Tumanyan are buried.

Bishop Davtyan said, “At this time, the pantheon is being renovated and this will be completed by next summer.” He noted that when stones with Armenian inscriptions that were not tombstones were found during renovations of various parts of the city, such as at a bridge or school, they were brought to the pantheon, along with a few gravestones.

Message for the World’s Armenians

Bishop Davtyan concluded his interview with a message for all Armenians. He said, “I would like all Armenians to be more united at this time. I would like Armenians to stay at each other’s sides, not divided into various political, and public associations, like Dashnak or Hnchak, but stay Armenian… At this moment, when the homeland is facing such a difficult situation, we outside, in Georgia as the near diaspora, and you there in the distant diaspora, must be much more united.”