Building Name: | Church of the Red Gospel Կարմիր Ավետարան եկեղեցի |
Location: | Avlabari district, Tbilisi, Georgia |
Geo: | 41.691°N 44.8147°W |
Religious Affiliation: | Armenian Apostolic Church |
Status: | Cathedral |
Functional Status: | ruined (1989) |
Architecture: | yes |
Architecture Style: | Armenian |
Year Completed: | 1775 |
Specifications: | yes |
Dome Height Outer: | 40 meters |
The Church of the Red Gospel (Armenian: Կարմիր Ավետարան եկեղեցի, Karmir Avetaran Yekeghetsi; Armenian: Կարմիր վանք, Karmir Vank) or Shamkoretsots Sourb Astvatsatsin Church (Armenian: Շամքորեցոց Սուրբ Աստվածածին եկեղեցի, meaning Shamkor Inhabitants' Holy Mother of God Church)[1] is a ruined 18th-century Armenian church in the Avlabar district of Old Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia.
It was built in 1735 or 1775 or 1808,[1] and renovated during the 19th century. According to Armenian sources, on April 13, 1989, the church was "blown up"[1] or "destroyed".[2] Georgian officials deny that it was blown up, and ascribed its destruction to the intensity of an earthquake that had struck Tbilisi a day before.[3] At 40 meters, it was the tallest Armenian church in Tbilisi. Today it stands in ruins, with its cupola gone.