BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. A screening of
the documentary film “The Cross of Stolen Churches” by British
filmmaker Alexander Fodor, dedicated to the history of Christianity
in Caucasian Albania and the fate of its ecclesiastical heritage,
took place in the UK.
The filmmakers conducted extensive research into the Christian
heritage of Caucasian Albania, presenting a balanced perspective on
historical events. Filming took place in Azerbaijan and
Georgia.
The film tells the story of the origins of Christianity in
Caucasian Albania, its heyday, and its subsequent decline. The
filmmakers note that their research is based on archival documents
and materials from the Vatican, Israel, the United Kingdom, France,
Türkiye, Georgia, Armenia, Russia, Greece, and Egypt.
One of the film’s central episodes features statements by
Metropolitan Anania (Japaridze) of Manglisi and Tetritskaro, a
hierarch and renowned historian of the Georgian Orthodox Church.
Drawing on historical sources, he asserts that the Armenian Church
did everything in its power to seize the property of the Albanian
Church and appropriate its heritage.
The filmmakers also explore the stories of the apostles
Bartholomew and Thaddeus and examine various theories regarding the
locations associated with their mission and deaths. Special
attention is given to the debate over the site of Apostle
Bartholomew’s martyrdom: Baku or the territory of modern-day
Türkiye.
Another line of inquiry involves the National Library of France,
where the seal of the Great Catholicos of Caucasian Albania is
kept. The filmmakers raise the question of the ownership of this
relic and the possibility of its return to its historical
homeland.
The film features rare archival footage, historical photographs,
and contemporary graphics. The English-language narration is
provided by British actors Ian Recordon and Heather Combs, and the
soundtrack includes works by Irish composer David Byers, among
others.
