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Los Angeles Times
Sept 19 2010
Armenians worship in eastern Turkey, and for some it's a bittersweet moment
Hundreds attend a service at the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross,
the first held there since 1915, when a wave of violence largely
destroyed one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East.
Reporting from Akdamar Island, Turkey, and Beirut - A Sunday service
at a historic church in eastern Turkey underscored both the desire for
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and the hurdles that remain
nearly a century after a violent massacre of Armenians.
It was the first service held in the 1,100-year-old Armenian Church of
the Holy Cross since 1915, when a wave of violence largely destroyed
one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East.
Many Armenians in the diaspora and the neighboring republic of Armenia
boycotted and denounced Sunday's service on Akdamar Island after
Turkish authorities did not allow a cross to be raised on the dome of
the church, allowing it to be placed on the church grounds nearby
instead.
Still, hundreds of Armenian pilgrims attended, many coming from the
relatively large Armenian community in Istanbul, Turkey's main city,
but also from Iran, Germany, France and from as far away as the United
States. They flooded local hotels and traversed Lake Van by boat to
get to the site as they sang hymns.
"There is a village far, far away," one group sang. "It's my village
even though I never go or I haven't seen it."
Most visited the small church for a few minutes and watched the
ceremony via giant television screens set up in the gardens outside.
"I feel bittersweet about being here, because I grew up hearing about
the life in Van from my parents," said Paul Shahinian, a 58-year-old
visiting from New Jersey. "I always had images in my head about Van. I
never imagined I could come here because Turkey didn't welcome
Armenians."
The church, surrounded by verdant mountains and hills, is decorated on
the outside with carvings of different animals such as peacocks, goats
and owls, which are common in Armenian iconography. Painted figures
inside are meant to represent the heavens.
"This church, which is a valuable piece of art, is a cultural monument
that belongs to the whole of humanity," Archbishop Aram Atesyan of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey said during a two-hour service he led,
according to Turkey's semi-official Anatolia News Agency.
The 8-year-old government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
strived to heal the wounds of the past by reaching out to Armenians in
Turkey and abroad in an attempt to bolster its international
reputation and smooth out obstacles to possible Turkish entrance into
the European Union. In 2005, Turkey began a $1.5-million restoration
of the church, opening it as a museum in 2007. It will host an annual
religious service from now on.
Some critics in both Turkey and among Armenians have denounced the
handling of the church opening as an attempt by Turks to whitewash a
violent history. But others describe the Sunday' event as an important
gesture by an activist Turkish government that appears more ready and
able than previous political elites to address the country's domestic
and international sore spots.
But attempts at reconciliation between Armenians and Turks have often
faltered, as much over misunderstandings of gestures as substantive
differences, the latter including Turkey's refusal to abide by the
widely accepted description of the killings as genocide.
The cross controversy underscores the sensitivity of relations between
Turks and Armenians, even over relatively minor matters. Turkish
officials blamed the church's Italian architect, saying the dome could
not handle the 440-pound cross. The provincial governor of Van has
promised that a cross would be mounted on the church within six weeks.
But many Armenians suspect continued chauvinism by Turks, who are
governed by a political party that has roots in the country's Islamist
movements. "The cross wasn't there because of the fears of the
governments," said Rafi Altunkeser, a 40-year-old Armenian Turk
visiting from Istanbul.
But other Armenians called for reconciliation. Harry Parsekian, a
Boston resident, said his family originally hailed from eastern Turkey
but was driven out. He first returned to the Van region in 1985 and
has since returned many times.
"When I was young I never imagined I would have Turkish friends," said
Parsekian. "But I do have really good Turkish friends now. And I
believe this is a good step for the Armenians and Turks."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-turkey-armenian-church-20100920,0,7533213.story
From: A. Papazian
Sept 19 2010
Armenians worship in eastern Turkey, and for some it's a bittersweet moment
Hundreds attend a service at the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross,
the first held there since 1915, when a wave of violence largely
destroyed one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East.
Reporting from Akdamar Island, Turkey, and Beirut - A Sunday service
at a historic church in eastern Turkey underscored both the desire for
reconciliation between Turks and Armenians and the hurdles that remain
nearly a century after a violent massacre of Armenians.
It was the first service held in the 1,100-year-old Armenian Church of
the Holy Cross since 1915, when a wave of violence largely destroyed
one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East.
Many Armenians in the diaspora and the neighboring republic of Armenia
boycotted and denounced Sunday's service on Akdamar Island after
Turkish authorities did not allow a cross to be raised on the dome of
the church, allowing it to be placed on the church grounds nearby
instead.
Still, hundreds of Armenian pilgrims attended, many coming from the
relatively large Armenian community in Istanbul, Turkey's main city,
but also from Iran, Germany, France and from as far away as the United
States. They flooded local hotels and traversed Lake Van by boat to
get to the site as they sang hymns.
"There is a village far, far away," one group sang. "It's my village
even though I never go or I haven't seen it."
Most visited the small church for a few minutes and watched the
ceremony via giant television screens set up in the gardens outside.
"I feel bittersweet about being here, because I grew up hearing about
the life in Van from my parents," said Paul Shahinian, a 58-year-old
visiting from New Jersey. "I always had images in my head about Van. I
never imagined I could come here because Turkey didn't welcome
Armenians."
The church, surrounded by verdant mountains and hills, is decorated on
the outside with carvings of different animals such as peacocks, goats
and owls, which are common in Armenian iconography. Painted figures
inside are meant to represent the heavens.
"This church, which is a valuable piece of art, is a cultural monument
that belongs to the whole of humanity," Archbishop Aram Atesyan of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey said during a two-hour service he led,
according to Turkey's semi-official Anatolia News Agency.
The 8-year-old government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has
strived to heal the wounds of the past by reaching out to Armenians in
Turkey and abroad in an attempt to bolster its international
reputation and smooth out obstacles to possible Turkish entrance into
the European Union. In 2005, Turkey began a $1.5-million restoration
of the church, opening it as a museum in 2007. It will host an annual
religious service from now on.
Some critics in both Turkey and among Armenians have denounced the
handling of the church opening as an attempt by Turks to whitewash a
violent history. But others describe the Sunday' event as an important
gesture by an activist Turkish government that appears more ready and
able than previous political elites to address the country's domestic
and international sore spots.
But attempts at reconciliation between Armenians and Turks have often
faltered, as much over misunderstandings of gestures as substantive
differences, the latter including Turkey's refusal to abide by the
widely accepted description of the killings as genocide.
The cross controversy underscores the sensitivity of relations between
Turks and Armenians, even over relatively minor matters. Turkish
officials blamed the church's Italian architect, saying the dome could
not handle the 440-pound cross. The provincial governor of Van has
promised that a cross would be mounted on the church within six weeks.
But many Armenians suspect continued chauvinism by Turks, who are
governed by a political party that has roots in the country's Islamist
movements. "The cross wasn't there because of the fears of the
governments," said Rafi Altunkeser, a 40-year-old Armenian Turk
visiting from Istanbul.
But other Armenians called for reconciliation. Harry Parsekian, a
Boston resident, said his family originally hailed from eastern Turkey
but was driven out. He first returned to the Van region in 1985 and
has since returned many times.
"When I was young I never imagined I would have Turkish friends," said
Parsekian. "But I do have really good Turkish friends now. And I
believe this is a good step for the Armenians and Turks."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-turkey-armenian-church-20100920,0,7533213.story
From: A. Papazian