Two monasteries have been returned to Armenian church officials by the government, the Tass news agency said. The official news agency said on Wednesday that Armenian authorities returned to the church the Tateva monastery, built in the 9th century, and the Makaravank monastery, built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The government in Armenia, a southern Soviet republic that borders Turkey, also returned three mosques to religious officials, Tass said. It quoted Patriarch-Catholicos Vazgen of the Armenian church as saying the return of the facilities was an example of improved church-state relations. Tass said the monasteries had been under state protection for many years, but provided no other details about them.
