Armenian Church of the Holy Christ the Savior

The Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Christ the Savior (Surb Prkich) is a significant spiritual and cultural center for the Armenian community of the city and the whole of Adjara. It was built in 1885-1887 using funds from the local Armenian community. The church project was developed by the talented Russian architect Robert Marfeld.

Small in size and rather simple in decoration, the church has its own features. The stained glass windows with eight-pointed stars attract attention – an ancient symbol associated with the fact that Armenians were the first Christians, and denoting eternity or paradise in Christianity. In the church yard, you can see traditional Armenian stone crosses – khachkars and a gorgeous magnolia tree, which was planted in 1889 by the famous artist Ivan Aivazovsky.

The church had a difficult fate - during the Soviet years, the building was turned into a planetarium. And in 1959, there was a threat to demolish the church under the pretext of improving the city, but thanks to the active efforts of the local Armenian community and the intervention of Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I, the building was saved, although it remained closed. The revival of the temple began after the collapse of the USSR. In 1992, thanks to the efforts of the Armenian community and the government of Armenia, the building was returned to believers and after a long restoration, the church reopened its doors.

Today it is a functioning temple, uniting the Armenian community of Batumi, numbering more than 800 people. The temple has a Sunday school, a youth center "Our Future", a women's union and musical groups.