YEREVAN. – The preservation of the integrity of Armenia’s Sanahin Monastic Complex is questionable, historian Gevorg Melkonyan stated during a press conference on Saturday.

“The monastery [which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list] is in a very weak condition, and a complete restoration issue may come up in several years. In 2016, we will mark the 1050th anniversary of the church and the university of Sanahin,” the historian noted. 

He added that Sanahin was also an important learning center.

“It is unique not only for its architecture, but by the fact that a scribe school, a library, a master’s college, [and] the shrines of [several of] our princes were there. The area is also rich with chapels.

“The initiative group decided to create a fund to assist the restoration of Sanahin. There also will be cultural events, [and] a book about the Church of Sanahin.

“This is a task for us all. The Church of Sanahin is the property of the Armenian Church; and if the reconstruction had been undertaken earlier, less means would have been needed,” Gevorg Melkonyan concluded.