On October 23, the Saint Zion Church in the Vachian village of Akhalkalak region was reconsecrated by Primate of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese, His Grace, Fr. Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan during a solemn ceremony held with the participation of Vicar of the General Prelacy of Samtske-Javakhk and Tsalka, Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Babgen Salbiyan; assistant to the Primate of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese, Rev. Fr. Archimandrite Khoren Vardanyan; pastor of Diliska and the nearby villages, Fr. Priest Tigran Mkhitaryan, as well as pastor of Akhalkalak and the nearby villages, Fr. Priest Tatev Marukyan, reported the press divan of the Vicariate of the Prelacy of Javakhk, according to Hayern Aysor.

The church was built in the 1830s, but hadn’t been operating for decades. Among the attendees of the solemn ceremony were Members of the Parliament of Georgia Henzel Mkoyan and Samvel Manukyan; Deputy of the National Assembly of Armenia Tatchat Vardapetyan; Head of the Regional Council of Akhalkalak Hamlet Movsisyan; Head of the Regional Department of Akhalkalak Eduard Aghasaryan; Head of the Regional Council of Ninotsminda Smbat Kyureghyan; Head of the Regional Department of Ninotsminda Gagik Gharslyan; President of the Board of Trustees of the Support to Javakhk Foundation Sos Sahakyan, as well as other high-ranking officials. The church was restored under the sponsorship of a group of residents of Vachian village.

The clergymen were greeted with salt and bread and a performance by dhol and zurna players. His Grace Vazgen greeted the gathered, congratulated everyone on the reconsecration of the church and on the day marking the invention of the Holy Cross and mentioned the importance of having a church in the village. His Holiness’s speech was followed by the ceremony of opening the doors, which was followed by the order of consecration of the church. During the ceremony, Fr. Priest Tigran Mkhitaryan and Fr. Priest Tatev Marukyan washed the Holy Table, the 16 columns and basin for baptisms with wine and water. Afterwards, His Grace, Fr. Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan performed the consecration of the church with the Holy Muron. After a long interval, pastor of the Holy Cross Church of Akhalkalak, Fr. Priest Tatev Marukyan served the first Holy Mass at the church. The Holy Mass was followed by the order of consecration of an Armenian cross-stone erected in the churchyard and dedicated to the memory of the holy martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.

After the Holy Mass, lamb was sacrificed. The festive day ended with a national event that featured a performance by Vachian Ethnographic Dance Group led by artistic director and dance instructor Naslet Keya.