Gravestones with Armenian inscriptions have been unearthed during the renovation of Baratashvili Ascent next to Tbilisi’s Armenian district of Havlabar, Aliq Media reports.
Part of the stones have been saved from becoming construction waste and transported to the pantheon of Armenian writers and public figures of Khojivank.
Director of Hayartun Center of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia Levon Chidilyan says those are the tombstones of Khojivank that have been used as construction material since 1930 upon Lavrentiy Beria’s instruction.
According to him, many Armenian churches went victim to the reconstruction plan of Tbilisi worked out in 1930s.
“Architects didn’t see the Khojivank cemetery in the city’s development plans. The Friendship Park was built on its place and functioned until 1991. Tombstones from the destroyed pantheon were used as construction material,” Chidilyan said.
According to him, this is not the first time an Armenian trace has been uncovered during reconstruction of different parts of the Georgian capital.
