Minas Avetisyan's frescos remain in Gyumri

Two frescos by Minas Avetisyan - a famous 20th century Armenian artist - will be saved from final decay following a government decision to restore and hang them.

At its meeting on Thursday, the executive made a decision on restoring of the frescos titled Armenian Pray Song and Knitting Carpet. Deputy Minister of Culture Arev Samuelyan said the local authorities and NGOs, as well as several cultural figures in the second largest city of Gyumri have actively supported the maintenance of the frescos.

They have proposed that the Armenian Pray Song, a fresco consisting of two parts, be restored and hung in the discussion hall of town's newly constructed City Hall. As to other work - Knitting Carpet – they proposed hanging it at Shirak region's center for the preservation of historical and cultural monuments.

Four more works by Minas Avetisyan need due attention by local authorities and NGOs.

"Since Gyumri gives a great attention to the issue, we would like to ask non-governmental organizations to submit new proposals to enable us to save those works as that is our main task," Premier Tigran Sargsyan told the cabinet members. "No effort should be spared for to save the frescos, and if the public movement helps find entrepreneurs capable of making investments, we are ready to make decisions on leaving them in Gyumri or Shirak reghion. "