News - Georgia patriarchate calls on Baku to allow liturgy to be held in Georgian church in Azerbaijan territory

The Patriarchate of Georgia has called upon the Azerbaijani authorities to provide an opportunity to provide regular services in Kurmukhi Church, built in the 13th and 14th centuries, on the banks of the Kurmukhi river in the Gakh District of Azerbaijan. As noted in the respective statement of the patriarchate, a few days ago, a video was posted on the internet, in which there was footage from Kurmukhi Church. In the video, an Azerbaijani musician stands on a leather hide and performs a composition on a musical instrument. The patriarchate notes that the video was removed from YouTube after public outcry, and the person who shot the video assured that he did so out of love and respect for Georgian culture. "Such cases once again confirm how important it is to restore the original mission of Georgian churches and monasteries in Azerbaijani territory. Therefore, we appeal to the relevant representatives of the Azerbaijani authorities, so that the monastery of Saint George in Kurmukhi becomes a functioning temple, and the Patriarchate of Georgia is given the right to provide regular services there, as the above-mentioned fact is not the first, and we are constantly faced with a problem that causes tension, righteous indignation of the public, and offending the feelings of the faithful," the statement said. The patriarchate added that this monastery has the status of a cultural monument in Azerbaijan, which makes the continuation of such incidents even more annoying. Furthermore, the Georgian Church appealed to Sheikh Ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the. Caucasus Muslims’ Board, asking him to study the respective facts and take appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.