The Giorgi Chubinashvili National Research Center for the History of Georgian Art and Monument Protection says the Zghuderi Church in Kareli, an important example of medieval Georgian architecture, has been “completely destroyed” and replaced with new construction carried out without permission.
The center says the demolition of the monument and the construction of a new church took place without authorization.
It became known on June 13 that the Zghuderi Church in Kareli Municipality — a 6th-century three-nave basilica rebuilt in the 10th and 14th centuries and partially demolished during the Soviet period — has been fully destroyed. The building was designated as an immovable cultural heritage monument.
The center says a new church is now being built on the same foundation using modern materials.
It also claims that the demolition took place last year but was not publicly disclosed, adding that the issue became known only after a field visit by a researcher from the institution.
The National Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection said the unauthorized demolition and construction were identified during monitoring last year, adding that it immediately notified the Ruis-Urbnisi Eparchy, which was carrying out the works, and informed the Georgian Orthodox Church as the owner of the monument.
The agency says it requested a suspension of the works at the time.
