AURORA PRIZE

On October 31, 2015, the cathedral of the Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Surb Gevorg (St. George), was re-consecrated in Tbilisi. The Armenian merchant Umek of Karin, who settled in Tiflis at the beginning of the 13th century, built the church in 1251. Its courtyard became the final resting place for many famous Armenians: poet and musician Sayat-Nova and painter Gevorg Bashinjaghian, as well as the Russian generals of Armenian descent Mikhail Loris-Melikov, Arshak Ter-Gukasov, Beybut (Boris) Shelkovnikov and Hovhannes (Ivan) Lazarev. Reconstruction began in 2012 as one of IDeA’s most important projects in helping the Armenian diaspora in Georgia lead a fulfilling spiritual and religious life.