Iskhan Erdinc
Agos

Zekerya Sabunci, who lives in the Derik district of Mardin, had been voluntarily responsible for the Sourp Kevork Church in the district for years. However, last week, the Keçecioğlu family, who owns the church and are members of the Derik Armenian community, claimed in a press statement that Sabunci had changed the church’s locks without their knowledge and that the church and its garden were neglected. The family also stated that the paintings in the church were missing. Sabunci’s son, Ğazar Sabunci, said that the paintings were brought to Istanbul for restoration with the knowledge of the Patriarchate.

The locks of Derik Sourp Kevork Church have been changed, and the controversy has been taken to the Patriarchate.

The Sourp Kevork Church in Derik was built in 1650. After 1915, the church passed into the ownership of the Treasury. Until 1957, it was used as a stable and arsenal. In 1957, the church was put up for sale and purchased by the Armenian community in Derik. The title deed was registered in the name of Garabet Keçecioğlu, who was involved in the process. After Keçecioğlu’s death in 2000, the title deed passed to his family. The number of Armenians living in Derik gradually decreased, and no services were held in the church for many years. The maintenance of the church was undertaken by Zekerya Sabunci, who returned to his hometown of Derik in 2014. Sabunci, who is involved in the family profession of olive farming, was also one of the three Armenian citizens living in the district and was interested in the historical Sourp Kevork Church. However, last week, Sabunci made a post on his personal Facebook account stating that the Keçecioğlu family came to Derik and broke and changed the lock on the church.

Statement from the Keçecioğlu Family

Following comments made after a social media post, the Keçecioğlu family issued a press statement. In their statement, the family stated that Zekerya Sabunci had changed the church’s locks without their knowledge or the knowledge of the Derik Armenians, that the church was neglected, and that the paintings in the church were missing.

The explanation is as follows:

“The Sourp Kevork Armenian Church in Derik, Mardin, was repurchased by the Derik Armenian Community in 1957, and the title deed of the church was registered in the name of Karabit Keçecioğlu (Oruz), who made significant contributions during this process.”

After Karabit Keçecioğlu’s death in 2000, the maintenance and security of the church were carried out for many years by Naif and Yürşalin Demirci.

However, without the knowledge of our family and the Derik Armenian community, the church’s keys were taken, as Zekerya Sabunci himself stated, by the police, the locks were changed, and access to the church was brought under control.

It was observed that the church and its garden, which Zekerya Sabunci claimed to be maintaining, were in serious disrepair; various items unrelated to the church (stretcher’s chair, barber’s chair) and fighting roosters were found in the garden.

The most important and serious issue is the absence of historically valuable paintings from the church. We do not know who removed these paintings, for what reason, or with whose knowledge. Furthermore, the allegations that forgeries have been made must also be clarified.

We have also determined that Zekerya Sabunci collected money under the guise of donations by sharing his personal information. We do not accept the accusations of “robbery” leveled against the Keçecioğlu family in various forums.

On behalf of the public, we expect answers to the following questions:

– Why was the church key taken and why were the locks changed?

– Why is the church in such a neglected state?

– Where and how are the donations collected on behalf of the church used, and have any permits been obtained from the relevant authorities for receiving these donations?

– Where are the historical paintings, and by whom were they removed from the church?

– Is it true that forgeries of the paintings were made? If so, what was the purpose of this?

The Sourp Kevork Armenian Church is not the personal property of anyone. It is part of the shared history, faith, and cultural heritage of the Derik Armenian community.

Our aim is not to accuse anyone prematurely; it is to ensure the protection of the church, historical artifacts, and community heritage, and to ensure that the events are clarified by the relevant authorities.

This is respectfully announced to the public.

Statement from Sabunci

Speaking to Agos, Ğazar Sabunci, the son of Zekerya Sabunci, stated that the church’s title deed should actually have been transferred to a foundation, that the paintings in the church date back to the 1700s, and that they were brought to Istanbul for restoration. Sabunci stated that the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey was aware of the restoration process of the paintings. Sabunci claimed that the paintings are currently kept in the Samatya Sourp Kevork Church, and that the Keçecioğlu family is aware of this. Sabunci said the following:

“Naif Demirci, being elderly, gave the church’s key to a woman. She then used the church for purposes other than its intended use. After my father returned to Derik in 2014, he went to the Derik District Governorship and retrieved the key. Until this last incident, he had been maintaining the church on a voluntary basis. Because the church’s title deed does not belong to a foundation, support from public institutions for renovations and restoration could not be obtained. With the support of members of the Derik Armenian community, a guesthouse was built in the church, and the toilets were renovated. The church has no income whatsoever. Three paintings in the church are valuable. They were brought to Istanbul for restoration. Through the mediation of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, the paintings were taken to the Samatya Sourp Kevork Church. The restoration of two of them has been completed, but work has not yet begun on the third. The paintings have been at the Samatya Sourp Kevork Church since the end of July. The Keçecioğlu family is aware of this. I told them that restoration would be done. These paintings were to be preserved, and replicas were to be sent to Mardin. The title deed of this church actually belongs to a foundation should be transferred.”

Samatya Foundation: The paintings were brought to us.

On the other hand, the Samatya Sourp Kevork Church Foundation released a statement on social media regarding the paintings at the Derik Sourp Kevork Church. In its statement, the Samatya Foundation noted that the paintings were brought to their church by Ğazar Sabunci. The statement reads as follows:

“The aforementioned paintings were brought to the Samatya Sourp Kevork Armenian Church through Gisasargavak Gazar Sabunci and with the permission and guidance of the Armenian Patriarchate of Türkiye.”

The before and after versions of one of the restored paintings.

Our foundation has no knowledge or involvement in any matter or organization related to the transportation or restoration of the paintings.

Only members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and those authorized by them have the authority to make statements and inform the public on behalf of our Foundation.

Please disregard any statements or posts made by individuals or social media accounts other than this official source.

This is respectfully announced to the parties and the public.”

Meeting at the Patriarchate

Following these developments, a meeting was held at the Patriarchate on Wednesday, September 9th, regarding the future of the Sourp Kevork Church in Mardin. The meeting, chaired by Patriarch Maşalyan, was attended by members of the Keçecioğlu and Sabunci families, as well as individuals from the Armenian community of Derik. Currently, the ownership and use of the church belong to the Keçecioğlu family. In a statement to our newspaper, Sabunci said that no conclusion was reached at the meeting and that the original paintings would be sent to Derik.