Category: 2022

DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye

Turkiye on Saturday officially reopened a 16th-century Armenian church that had been damaged by terrorists before restoration by the Turkish government.

Saying that everyone “shares the excitement” of the renovated Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told the opening ceremony that services will start tomorrow “and that this structure, which has been the target of terrorism, will be reopened for worship.”

The historic church in Diyarbakir’s Sur district was damaged by PKK terrorist attacks in 2015 and was restored with funds provided by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry under the coordination of Turkiye’s Foundations General Directorate.

Various cultures and faiths live together in peace and worship freely in Diyarbakir, which is home to many priceless structures, said Ersoy, including the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches.

“Unfortunately, these two structures, which are among the important treasures of our cultural heritage, were targeted and destroyed by terror groups, who wanted to cast a shadow over the peace and tranquility of the city in recent years,” he explained.

“We believe that the places of worship all over Anatolia are signs of respect and fellowship among us.”

Symbol of good relations between Armenians, Turks, Kurds

The church, the largest Armenian Gregorian church in the Middle East, is known not only by citizens of the city but also worldwide, Ersoy said, adding that restoration of the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches cost approximately 32 million Turkish liras ($2.14 million)

Sahak Mashalian, the patriarch of Turkish Armenians, called the opening of the church a lifeline for Diyarbakir’s Christian population, which has been on the decline.

“It contains an important and meaningful message of friendship for the Armenian world in terms of the development of Turkish-Armenian relations,” he said.

“There are so many bright and positive events and experiences to be emphasized in the thousand-year-old Turkish-Armenian relations that we believe should be highlighted with the bridges of friendship that must be established in the future.”

“We have to see this church, which was opened for worship, as a monument of good neighborly relations between Armenians, Turks, and Kurds, Christians and Muslims,” he added.

Turkiye has a sizeable Armenian minority population, and normalization talks started earlier this year between Turkiye and neighboring Armenia.

Ergun Ayik, head of the Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation, said the group worked for the renovation of this church under the leadership of the Diyarbakir Governorship and the support of Turkiye’s Foundations General Directorate.

Stating that the restoration was completed with sensitive and meticulous work, Ayik added: “We hope to preserve this church forever with the support of our community, state, and regional actors.”

After a seven-year hiatus at the church, the bell was rung, a blessing rite was performed, candles were lit, and prayers performed.

DIYARBAKIR, Turkiye

After a seven-year hiatus, a 16th-century Armenian church that suffered damage by terrorists before restoration by the Turkish government reopened for worship services on Sunday.

The first service in the Surp Giragos Armenian Church was officiated by Sahak Mashalian, the Turkish Armenian patriarch.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Mashalian said that people from Istanbul and all over Turkish Anatolia came to Diyarbakir for the service.

“We performed our prayer in this beautiful, historic place. A truly impressive environment,” he said.

“This place is actually a monument to the multi-colored, multi-faith, and multi-denominational past of this city.”

He added: “I hope this diversity will be understood as a treasure, and we will all live together in this country in happiness and peace under this flag.”

Touching on the multiyear, $2.14 million restoration of two local churches, Mashalian praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for spearheading the effort, saying: “I specially thank our president for his encouragement. He personally took care of the renovation of this church and gave the necessary instructions.”

He said that there are other churches in the region that need restoration, adding: “With their restoration, this region can really turn into a world-famous tourist hub.”

Talin Gokdemir, who traveled from Istanbul for the service, said: “We’re very happy that this church has reopened in Diyarbakir. We held a ritual here and prayed for everyone’s health and happiness.”

Ahead of Sunday’s services, Turkish officials on Saturday had officially reopened the church, mentioning the “excitement” over it opening its doors once again.

A16th-century Armenian church in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakır province heavily damaged by PKK terrorists in 2015 officially reopened on Saturday after extensive government-funded restoration.

Pointing out that everyone “shares the excitement” of the renovated Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakır, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said at the opening ceremony that services will start on Sunday, May 8 “and that this structure, which has been the target of terrorism, will be reopened for worship.”

The historic church in Diyarbakır’s Sur district was damaged by PKK terrorist attacks in 2015 and restored with funds provided by the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry under the coordination of Turkey’s General Directorate of Foundations.

Various cultures and faiths live together in peace and worship freely in Diyarbakır, which is home to many priceless structures, said Ersoy, including the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches.

“Unfortunately, these two structures, which are among the important treasures of our cultural heritage, were targeted and destroyed by terrorist groups who wanted to cast a shadow over the peace and tranquility of the city in recent years,” he explained.

“We believe that the places of worship all over Anatolia are signs of respect and fellowship among us.”

The church, the largest Armenian Gregorian church in the Middle East, is known not only by citizens of the city but also worldwide, Ersoy said, adding that restoration of the Surp Giragos Armenian and Mar Petyun Chaldean churches cost approximately TL 32 million ($2.14 million)

Sahak Mashalian, the patriarch of Turkish Armenians, called the opening of the church a lifeline for Diyarbakır’s Christian population, which has been on the decline.

“It contains an important and meaningful message of friendship for the Armenian world in terms of the development of Turkish-Armenian relations,” he said.

“There are so many bright and positive events and experiences to be emphasized in the thousand-year-old Turkish-Armenian relations that we believe should be highlighted with the bridges of friendship that must be established in the future.”

“We have to see this church, which was opened for worship, as a monument of good neighborly relations between Armenians, Turks and Kurds, Christians and Muslims,” he added.

Turkey has a sizeable Armenian minority population, and normalization talks started earlier this year between Turkey and neighboring Armenia.

Ergun Ayik, head of the Surp Giragos Armenian Church Foundation, said the group worked for the renovation of this church under the leadership of the Diyarbakır Governorship and with the support of the General Directorate of Foundations.

Stating that the restoration was completed with sensitive and meticulous work, Ayik added: “We hope to preserve this church forever with the support of our community, state and regional actors.”

After a seven-year hiatus at the church, the bell was rung, a blessing rite was performed, candles were lit and prayers were performed.

Turkey’s Armenian community flocked to the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Sunday for the first service in Surp Giragos, a church restored and reopened after seven years.

Dubbed the biggest Armenian church in the Middle East, Surp Giragos was one of the victims of the PKK terrorist group’s bloody campaign in the province in 2015. Along with other historic sites like an Ottoman-era mosque, it was heavily damaged in attacks. After comprehensive restoration work, it was restored to its old glory and opened in a ceremony attended by Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy on Saturday.

Armenian Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan, who accompanied Ersoy and other dignitaries on Saturday, returned to the church on Sunday, this time, for the first Sunday service in years in the 645-year-old church. Saturday’s guests at the ceremony, who heard church bells ringing for the first time in years, also attended the Sunday service.

Maşalyan led a somber crowd who arrived from Istanbul, where the country’s Armenian community is concentrated, along with Armenian faithful from other cities including the capital Ankara and the western city of Izmir.

The patriarch told Anadolu Agency (AA) after the Mass that they were pleased to pray “in this beautiful, historic place.” “This is a really impressive church. It is in a place that is a testament to the multi-colored, multi-faith, multi-denominational history of this city. I hope people have a better understanding of this diversity and see it as a wealth, so we can carry on with our lives in peace and happiness under the Turkish flag and together,” he said. Maşalyan expressed his gratitude to the Turkish state, “especially the president who personally oversaw the restoration and gave instructions.”

He pointed out that there were more churches in the region in need of restoration. “Their restoration can also make Diyarbakır a more famous tourist attraction and set an example on friendship of different communities and a culture of coexistence,” he said.

“We are grateful to see it reopened,” Udi Yervant, an Armenian singer who hails from Diyarbakır, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) after the Sunday service. “This is good news for us, for the general community. Places of worship are sacred. Surp Giragos is as sacred as the Great (Ulu) Mosque. We are very emotional today. We hope there will be more masses here. We also want to see Muslims here, to watch the religious services, so they get to know us better,” he said.

Arto Arman traveled from Istanbul for Sunday’s service. “We are so happy to be here and thank the state (for restoration). My wife is from Diyarbakır so I come here every year but it was better for us to see the church reopen after years,” he said.