AMD 309 million  to be allocated for restoration of Prince Chesar  Orbelian`s palace

ArmInfo. A total of 309 million drams will be allocated for the restoration of Prince Chesar Orbelian's palace in the village of Ors in Armenia's Vayots Dzor province.  For the year 2026, work valued at approximately 83.5  million drams is scheduled for completion, according to the Ministry  of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports (MoESCS). 

In 2024, the MoESCS commissioned a comprehensive project for the  restoration and landscaping of the palace grounds. The proposal was  reviewed and approved by the Ministry's Scientific-Methodological  Council.  Following a competitive bidding process, a contract was  signed with a construction firm in 2026, marking the official  commencement of restoration. In accordance with the agreements, the  project is subject to both technical and architectural supervision to  ensure historical accuracy and structural integrity.  The full  restoration project for the palace calls for preserving one of the  palace walls, while the remaining three are to be dismantled, In  accordance with the project, all walls were dismantled manually, and  suitable stones were numbered for re-installation.

The restoration and design phase was preceded by long-term  archaeological excavations commissioned by the Ministry of Education,  Science, Culture, and Sports. Excavations reached the palace's  original foundation, confirming that no further cultural layers exist  beneath the site. Existing stoves were preserved to prevent damage.  While heavy machinery was utilized for soil removal and  transportation, all earthworks were conducted under the direct  supervision of archaeologist Avetis Grigoryan and the project's lead  restoration architect, Levon Vasilyan. 

The entire restoration project is estimated to take between two to  three years to complete.