The Lower Bethlemi Church (also known as Church of Saint Stepanos of the Holy Virgins – is a 14th–19th century Georgian Orthodox church at the foot of the Narikala fortress

Narikala

Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church.The...

 in Old Tbilisi

Old Tbilisi

Old Tbilisi is an administrative district in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Although the term "Old Tbilisi" has long been used to denote a historical part of the city, it was only in 2007 that it became a distinct administrative entity to incorporate several historical neighborhoods formerly...

, Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. It was rebuilt between 1868 and 1870, and was "Georgianized" in 1991. The church has been under the ownership of the Georgian orthodox church since 1988.

Georgian appropriation

From 1989 to 1995, the church underwent a heavy process of "Georganization", during which time all evidence of Armenian religious iconography was removed and replaced with Georgian ones.

Among the alterations to remove the church's Armenian characteristics included:

• the destruction of the ground floor portal and mausoleum of Mother-Superior Peprone in 1990
• the removal of the iron gratings of the windows and the covering of windows with bricks in 1995
• the removal of Armenian high-reliefs stretching all around the drum of the church from 1991–1993
• the destruction on the top of the western pediment of the church (blown up on February 9, 1990)
• the destruction of the marble Armenian "khachkal" in the middle of the apse in 1990
• the removal of a marble cross, altar stone, and other fragments for safe-keeping at the Cathedral of Saint Gevorg in 1990
• the razing of the high altar and khachkal (1990–1991)
• the destruction of the baptistery font which had been in the northern wall
• the removal of the marble washing-basin (1870) and taken to safe-keeping at Saint Gevorg
• the destruction of the Armenian
  Armenian alphabet
  The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
  
   inscription on the interior of the drum that recounts the repairs of the cover of the cupola
• the removal of the Armenian inscription (1870) recounting the erection of the column with deaconess Hripsime Begtabeguiantz's means in 1991
• the removal of a marble inscription slab (1870) recounting deaconess Katarine Yerkainabazouk-Arghoutiantz's construction activity in 1990
• the removal of the marble inscription slab which recounts the construction of activity of the Ourdoubekiantz couple (disappeared in 1990)
• the removal of the marble inscription slab recounting the construction of the upper floor of the church
• the removal of the inscription specifying that the metal spiral stairs leading to the upper floor were built in 1885 on the initiative and means of arch-deaconess Evpimia Behboutiantz
• the throwing away of other Armenian lapidary inscriptions during the abolition of the Armenian characteristics of the church between 1990–1991
• the removal and destruction of the memorial inscription carved on the marble slab on the wall of Mother-Superior Heprosime Abamelikian's burial vault under the portal in front of the northern entrance of the church (the mausoleum was destroyed, too) in 1990
• the painting of a Georgian fresco on the tympanum of the altered northern entrance in June 1995

See also

• Saint Bethlehem Armenian Church, a nearby 18th century Armenian church
• Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church
  Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church, Tbilisi
  The Saint Gevorg of Mughni Church also known as Saint George of Mughni Church is a 13th century Armenian church in Tbilisi, Georgia that was entirely rebuilt in 1756...
  
  , a nearby 13th century Armenian church
• Cathedral of Saint George, a nearby 13th century Armenian church
• Holy Mother of God (Norashen) Church
  Norashen Church, Tbilisi
  Norashen Holy Mother of God Church or Norashen Sourb Astvatzatzin Church is a 15th century Armenian church in Old Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1467 and renovated in 1650. It also underwent renovations later in 1795, 1808, and 1875...
  
  , a nearby 15th century Armenian church
• Armenians in Georgia
  Armenians in Georgia
  Armenians in Georgia are ethnic Armenians living within the country of Georgia. Armenians are the second largest ethnic minority in Georgia at about 5.7% of the population. The Armenian community is mostly concentrated in the capital Tbilisi and the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, which borders Armenia...