Arakel Afrikyan’s house and St. Grigor Church of Kecharis to be renovated
Sketch projects for the restoration of frescoes in two historical and cultural monuments located in Yerevan and the Kotayk Province have been discussed and received a positive conclusion from a professional sectoral group. The discussion took place at the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport, during the first 2026 meeting of the working group on monumental art monuments attached to the Ministry.
The subjects of discussion were the projects for the reinforcement and restoration of the 20th-century frescoes in Arakel Afrikyan’s residential house located at 38 Pushkin Street in the Kentron administrative district of Yerevan, as well as the tympanum fresco of St. Grigor Church in the Kecharis Monastery complex in the city of Tsaghkadzor.
The Afrikyan house was built in 1902. The building has preserved stoves of various structures and designs, as well as four ceiling frescoes with floral-botanical compositions made in the early 20th century. The author of the restoration sketch project is Nikolay Mikhaylov, a restorer of monumental art monuments.
The tympanum fresco of St. Grigor Church in Kecharis dates back approximately to the 13th century. It depicts the Deesis scene, with images of Christ, the Holy Mother of God, John the Baptist, apostles, and angels. The project was developed by “Documentation of Monuments” LLC, with Ashkhen Papoyan as the restorer.
Both projects were commissioned by benefactors within the framework of state-private partnership. The working group was established in 2022 and discusses and coordinates projects for the reinforcement and restoration of monumental art monuments, including programs implemented through state budget funds.
