| The Church of Saint Peter and Paul Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի |
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Rear view of the basilica |
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Shown within Armenia
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| Basic information | |
| Location | At the corner of Astafyan St. (Abovyan St.) and Bzhshkakan St. (Tumanyan St.), today where "Moscow" Cinema stands, Kentron District, Yerevan, Armenia |
| Geographic coordinates | |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Status | destroyed in 1931 |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Late Medieval Triple-nave Basilica |
| Architectural style | Armenian |
| Completed | 5th-6th centuries |
St. Paul and Peter Church (Surb Poghos-Petros) (Armenian: Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի; meaning Saint Peter and Paul) was an Armenian church in Yerevan, Armenia built during the 5th-6th centuries. It was destroyed in the 1930s by the Soviet regime that occupied the country during this time to make room for the "Moscow" Cinema on Abovian Street in Yerevan's Kentron District.
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According to Armenian historian Karo Ghafadaryan, the church of Saint Peter and Paul was the oldest and biggest church in old Yerevan. It was not the only church in old Yerevan. In fact, when in 607 AD the newly elected Catholicos of Armenia Abraham I assembled a meeting at the city of Dvin, he invited clergymen from territories controlled by the Byzantine Empire as well as two priests from Yerevan. Therefore this tells us that in old Yerevan there were at least two large churches. In the 17th century, French traveler Jean Chardin visited Yerevan. In his description about the city he mentioned that there were numerous churches in old Yerevan, but did not mention a church with the name of "Surb Poghos-Petros".
In 1679, a calamitous earthquake leveled much of the city and destroyed many structures in the neighboring regions. Amongst the structures that lay in ruin was the church of Saint Peter and Paul. A portion of the eastern section of the church survived, and the rest was soon rebuilt from its ruins. The newly reconstructed church went by the same name as its predecessor. [1]
There are not any known historical references to the rebuilding of Poghos-Petros Church. Most likely, the church was reconstructed toward the end of the 17th century. Karo Ghafadaryan found the years 1691 and 1692 inscribed upon some of the khachkars built into the church's eastern and northern walls. From two inscriptions Karo Ghafadaryan found that further restoration efforts had taken place again in later years. The first inscription, located upon the arch of the southern façade, tells that the church was restored in 1778. In the second inscription, inscribed onto the northern wall, states that the church was restored in 1820 with the financial assistance of the city's residents.[2] In 1879 the first Yerevan theatre was built near St. Paul and Peter Church.[3] The inscription was of interest since it was the residents of the city that helped to restore the church. Churches were typically built, reconstructed, or restored by patrons (usually wealthy individuals such as royalty).
In 1931 the church of Poghos-Petros was destroyed by the occupying Soviet regime to build "Moscow" Cinema. Many khachkars and religious structures such as churches, chapels, and shrines were destroyed across the country during this time to eliminate religion. Some fragments of the church's walls and wall-paintings survived. They are now displayed in the Yerevan History Museum and History Museum of Armenia.
On February 25, 2010 the Armenian government approved a proposal to manage Moscow Cinema Ltd. and to acquire the land currently occupied by the cinema's outdoor theater on Abovyan Street in favour of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, for the purpose of building a new church at the site of what was once the church of Poghos-Petros.[4][5]
The decision raised a upheaval amongst the public. Since the plan was announced, a group by the name SAVE Cinema Moscow Open-Air Hall enlisted 5,000 members. The group recently addressed Garegin II the Catholicos of Armenia as well as the Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, calling for a thorough public debate about the proposal.[6], and they are still waiting for their replies.[7] Some intellectuals in Armenia have actively spoken in defense of the cinema house, which is considered an architectural monument (although the open-air theatre does not represent any architectural importance being an old out-dated structure). Over 60 Armenian intellectuals have sent an open letter to Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan with a request to revise the decision on construction of a church at the place of the open-air cinema hall.[8]In response representatives of the church accused the critics of the construction of lacking due respect for God.[9]
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