Saint Karapet Church is an Armenian church now functioning as Georgian Othodox church 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 is located between the Chugureti and Avlabari districts.

Construction

The date of foundation is unclear because of various sometimes mutually excluding versions. In the list of Armenian heritage ordered by Nerses Ashtaraketsi St. Karapet is mentioned as following: "Built by a nobleman Baghdasar Isahak Kamazov in 1705, later renovated by the community". According to other souces the builder was "mokalak Kazazov", who built the church in 1400, which later was renovated in 1790. Kamazov and Kazazov must be the same person, but the dates range is huge. Other source - the drum of Bethlehem

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem, Tbilisi

Holy Mother of God Church of Bethlehem is a Georgian orthodox church in Tbilisi, Georgia, that was rebuilt in stone in the 18th century.- History :...

 church has note claiming construction of St. Karapet church by Amir Agha and his wife Beki khatun in 1664. The stone must have been located in St. Karapet church drum, but how it appeared in Bethlehem church is unclear. It may be supposed that by start of 18th cent. St. Karapet might have been in ruins and the stone with the note was moved to Bethlehem church. But it is not clear the stone refers to St. Karapet church, because there were also Kamoyants

Kamoyants St. Gevorg

Kamoyants St. Gevorg was an Armenian Apostolic church in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was destroyed in 1937-38 by order of Lavrentiy Beria along with 10 other churches in Tbilisi.-History:...

 and Sahakashen churches also dedicated to St. Karapet Forerunner.

Interesting facts

Among famous Armenians who studied here was Nar-Dos

Nar-Dos

Michael Hovhannisyan , known by the pen name Nar-Dos, was an Armenian writer.Nar-Dos was born in a wool seller's family in Tbilisi, Georgia in 1867...

.

Jason Tumanian, a mayor of Tbilisi, with all his family were buried in the yard of the church.

The church once had amazingly decorated old doors in the best traditions of Armenian ornamental art: they were removed after the end of the Soviet Union.

Soviet years and modern times

During the Soviet-era Saint Karapet was not a functioning church, but it escaped the destruction that was the fate of 11 other Armenian churches destroyed by Lavrentiy Beria

Lavrentiy Beria

Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....

's orders in the 1930s.

In 1995 the bell tower was demolished and the church was reconsecrated by the Georgian Church and now functions as a Georgian Orthodox church.

See also

• Armenians in Tbilisi
  Armenians in Tbilisi
  Armenians in Tbilisi are ethnic Armenians living within the city of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Armenians are the second largest ethnic minority in Tbilisi at 7.6% of the population. Armenians formed the majority in the city until the early 20th century...
  
  
• List of Armenian Apostolic Churches in Georgia