Faith and philanthropy? Behind Armenia’s church-building boom

Khor Virap monastery is one of Armenia’s oldest spiritual sites. In recent years the super-rich have built many more (Source: Alamy)

GAYANE ABRAHAMYAN FOR EURASIANET, PART OF THE NEW EAST NETWORK

FROM THE GUARDIAN

Tycoons have donated millions of dollars to religious construction over the last 15 years, but questions surround the practice. Eurasianet.org reports

Some multi-millionaire philanthropists fund universities and hospitals, while others opt to fund charities. But in Armenia, the super-rich seem to prefer building churches.

So far, in 2015 alone, some of the country’s most powerful and wealthy public figures have provided significant funds for work on five construction projects across the country.

The Armenian tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, founder of one of the country’s largest political parties has this year paid for work on two churches.

Overall, Tsarukian has been involved in the building or reconstruction of seven churches since 2000, estimated to have cost him tens of millions of dollars.

He’s not alone. The prime minister Hovik Abrahamian, a millionaire businessman in his own right, contributed a church to his south-western constituency, Artashat, where his son Argam is town mayor. French-Armenian philanthropist Sarkis Petoian and Russia-based real-estate magnate Samvel Karapetian have also funded churches.

Since 1999, roughly 250 churches and monasteries have been built or restored, according to the office of Catholicos Karekin II, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Church.

What’s behind the boom?

Some observers say that it’s because Christianity plays a central role in Armenian society, since the nation became the first to adopt Christianity as their official religion in 301 AD.

Others have been more critical. Stepan Danielian, a rights advocate and chairperson of the non-profit Co-operation for Democracy has noted the church does not examine the sources of financing for those it consecrates.

The benefactors themselves are also reluctant to discuss the specifics of their donations.

“We have never publicised what kind of financial investment has been made in the sphere of church construction because it has been done purely out of devotion,”