UNESCO excludes Georgia's restored Bagrati Cathedral from World Heritage List
TBILISI. June 20 (Interfax) - UNESCO has excluded the Bagrati Cathedral in the city of Kutaisi, built in 1003 by Georgian Tsar Bagrat III, from the World Heritage List.
According to the information of the Georgian Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection, the decision was made at the 37th UNESCO session being held in Cambodia.
Troops from the Ottoman Empire blew up the original Bagrati Cathedral in 1691 and as a result the walls and dome of the cathedral were partially destroyed. The cathedral remained untouched until 2009, when restoration began following the decision of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Saakashvili said back then that he would restore the Bagrati Cathedral to its origin state, however the foreign architects who he invited added many modern details, in particular a glass observation deck.
Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II said in 2012 that he demanded restoration works be stopped. The Patriarch said in particular that many violations were made during the restoration and the restoration was held without the Patriarchy's approval. Saakashvili did not respond to the Patriarch's appeals and a two-meter bronze cross was installed on the restored dome of the cathedral in August 2012.
The Georgian culture ministry said that UNESCO thought that the restored Bagrati Cathedral did not meet the requirements for a world heritage site.