“Hossein Mohammadi”: Restoration of “Mesrop” Church is Necessary to Prevent Deterioration
Hossein Mohammadi announced that immediate restoration work must begin on the Mesrop Church to prevent its deterioration.
The Mesrop Church in Arak belongs to the Qajar period and this structure, located on Shahid Chamran Street (Nisanian) in Arak, was registered as a national monument in 2000. With its charming and beautiful architecture, this church is considered one of the prominent examples of Armenian architectural heritage and a blend of culture, art, and coexistence that welcomes many tourists every Nowruz.
Hossein Mohammadi, deputy director of preservation and revival at the General Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the Central Province, said yesterday, Monday, May 19, regarding the restoration of the Mesrop Church in Arak: “10 billion rials in funding is needed for the restoration of the Mesrop Church in Arak to prevent the deterioration of this historic structure. This amount of funding has been estimated for moisture removal from part of the roof and the northern side of the church, external plastering, and removal of extensions.”
Regarding the inspection and announcement of reconstruction of this church, he added: “Following the visit of the Central Province Governor to the Arak Church, he issued the necessary order for the reconstruction of this structure, and the governor’s office was introduced as the funding provider and cultural heritage organization as the restoration supervisor. The last restoration of the Mesrop Church in Arak was carried out in 2020 with 450 million rials, and a new restoration is needed to preserve and maintain this structure.”
Hossein Mohammadi emphasized in this regard: “If this historic structure is properly maintained, no restoration will be needed for the next few years, but if neglected, it will be necessary to undertake restoration again with more funding.”
Most citizens of the Armenian community in the Central Province reside in the city of Arak, and the majority belong to the Gregorian branch and celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on this church 6 days after the beginning of the new calendar year.
