Two protests in Chisinau against demolition of medieval buildings

The nongovernmental organization Hyde Park Tuesday staged a protest against the knocking down of medieval buildings in the municipality of Chisinau. The organizers said the protest is a reaction to the initiation of the demolition of the cellars dating from the 18th century located near the Armenian Church on Piata Veche St. Young representatives of the Party of Socialists and the Communist Party also protested, pleading the same cause, but separately, Info-Prim Neo reports. The protests started in front of the building of the Chisinau City Hall. Afterward, the protesters went to the Government Building, then to the General Prosecutor’s Office and the State Construction Inspectorate. They chanted slogans, expressing their dissatisfaction with the destruction of the national patrimony. The protests will continue the next days. Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca said the State Construction Inspectorate is the only institution that can intervene in this case. It should submit an application to court and demand punishing those that break the law. The Armenian Apostolic Church “God’s Mother” located at 8 Piata Veche St was built in 1804 in the place of a medieval church. A ten-storey building is to be erected on the plot adjoining the church. As the church represents an architectural monument of national importance and was included in the Register of Protected Monuments, any work on the land situated near it is banned without the authorization of the Ministry of Culture.