Who Has Destroyed the Church Under Construction?

Society got furious and protested the deconstruction of the St. Gabriel’s Church which was under construction on the Feria Mountain in Batumi. As it became clear, before the deconstruction, the Chairman of the Adjara Government, Levan Varshalomidze, in the name of the President, was trying to persuade the Father Dimitri, Bishop of the Batumi-Kobuleti Eparchy to stop the construction and give the territory to the authority. Simultaneous to it, iron cross was removed in Kobuleti. The parish and representatives of the church consider the facts as a fight against the Orthodoxy. Particularly sever was the reaction of the parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition. The re-construction of the destroyed churches started on the same day. The government gave in and stated that it was unpleasant misunderstanding.

The construction of Holy Athos Mount's Fathers Monastery was planned Close to Batumi, on the Feria Mount. Initially they started to build the St. Gabriel Church. The place was sanctified several months ago. The church construction depended on donations. The company “Silk Road Group” made the biggest donation and granted the construction with the brick and construction materials left after the deconstruction of the hotel Medea.     

The authority suddenly got interested into Mount Feria when the construction was coming to the end. Khelvachauri district governor, Badri Shavlidze (the village of Feria still belongs to the Khelvachauri district Municipality and it is going to join Batumi Administrative District) said that the construction was illegal and should have been destroyed. “It is strategic territory. During the communist regime, there were anti-fleet security radars on the mountain. The church started building there illegally. We call upon them to dismantle the construction themselves. It is not a church it is two-meter-high wall. Unless they do it themselves, we will have to destroy it,” said Shavlidze.

Indeed, members of special unit and representatives of the Administrative Inspection visited the Feria Mount and ruined the building.

On the very next day, numerous representatives of the parish and opposition renewed the construction on the place. The government not only forgot the law, but they disappeared. The church construction was going on very slowly because of short finances. However, the accident served as an advertisement for the construction. A list is created for groups of people who want to go to the Feria Mount. These groups are set up according to their wish- to work on construction, to donate some finances or supply the builders with food.

Father Dimitri, Bishop of the Batumi and Kobuleti Eparchy said that the territory belonged to the old people’s asylum in the past. (The Georgian patriarchy was passed with the asylum several years ago). The Russian Military Unit occupied the territory in 1970s but several years ago the militants emptied the mountain. “We have petitioned to the Khelvachauri District Board to return the territory to the Old People’s Asylum but they did not reply anything,” said Father Dimitri who added that the high-ranking officials have got interested into the area lately. “Levan Varshalomidze got in touch with me. He said the president wanted to build something on the mountain and asked me to leave the place. I inquired why he had not informed the president that the church was being built on the mountain, but Varshalomidze told me that he could not dare to say to the president.”

The whole opposition reacted on the deconstruction of the church on the Feria Mountain. “I can imagine what would have happened if similar fact had happened regarding any religious minorities,” said MP Kakha Kukava and raised the question to charge the government. Adjara office of the Republic Party demands the punishment and resignation of Levan Varshalomidze. Kakha Shartava, the head of the National Forum who arrived in Batumi on purpose stated that “When the church is destroyed on Asention Day you should not expect anything from the government. Since 1935 church has not been destroyed in Georgia. Saakashvili made us return to the Stalini regime.” Later on, opposition applied to the Adjara Prosecutor’s Office to launch investigation on the deconstruction.

Representatives of the “New Rights” said that the deconstruction of the church is directly connected with the President Saakashvili and Internal Ministry, Vano Merabishvili. “The accident suspiciously coincided with the President’s previous long visit in Adjara. You can view Batumi from the Feria Mount. They speak about building the funicular and leisure center on the mountain. We have information that Vano Merabishvili was interested in the area.”

The deconstruction of the church caused negative resonance from the various confessions. The leader of the Muslim religion, Adjara Region Mufti, Bezan (Bekir) Bolkvadze said everybody will condemn the fact despite his or her confession. “It does not make any difference whether it is a church, a mosque or a synagogue, if the building is a holly house it must not be destroyed.” Similar is the statement of the Father Gabriel Bragantine, priest of the Catholic Church, who also added “There is a controversy between the government and various confessions in Georgia. Building of houses for prayers causes most problems in the country.”

Various branches of the government are confused regarding the accident. Chairman of the Adjara Supreme Council, Mikheil Makharadze cannot imagine who could do such vandal act. Avtandil Bezhanidze, member of the Supreme Council said that the Adjara authority could not do that. MPs Elene Tevdoradze and Aleko Shalamberidze stated that the accident was vandalism. Majority MP from Kobuleti, Koba Khabazi said that “If anyone wants to build a funicular or something else, they could find some alternative place for that and the church should not have been destroyed.”

The only person, who tried to protect the accident, was Batumi Mayer, Irakli Tavartkiladze who was grown up at the Tbilisi Theological Seminary. He speaks about the projects the government is going to implement on the Feria Mount. He confirmed that the funicular is really going to be built on the mountain. “It is vandalism to destroy the church but every illegal construction must be destroyed according to the law. You   know that the village of Feria must join Batumi soon and the mountain is too convenient for funicular and leisure center. We might set up some cultural monument on the place which will be characteristic for Georgia,” Tavartkiladze did not say what kind of monument he meant.

Giga Bokeria, so-called ideological leader of the government, said that the deconstruction of the church was an unpleasant misunderstanding. Nino Burjanadze, the Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament agreed with Bokeria and added that the misunderstanding could easily be resolved. Later on, Georgian Catholicos-Patriarch met the President Saakashvili and later they announced that the misunderstanding was settled. Tbilisi Mayer, Gigi Ugulava (group-mate of Batumi Mayer) made a statement regarding the meeting of the President and Patriarch. Ugulava said that the church would be built on the mountain but it will not be a monastery anymore. Close to the church they are going to build a funicular and leisure centers too.

The government did not comment on the situation yet and they do not say who ordered the deconstruction of the church. Opposition insists to find out who made the order to charge the responsible people for it. The officials avoid answering these questions. Maia Nadiradze said that “Oppositions is speculating with the accident.”

Nobody knows how the scandal ends. Former governor of the Khulo District, Otar Tsetskhladze, said that the situation will have simple end. “Badri Shavlidze might become the victim of the situation; though it is evident that he was ordered from higher instances.” Tsetskhladze has experienced what is the order from the higher instances and then how to rescue the high-ranking official who had ordered him. Three years ago he was imprisoned for several months because of Varshalomidze’s order and he was released under plea-bargain.

Emzar Diasamidze, Batumi