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Bell Tolls for Armenians Once Again in Diyarbakir
by Gulisor Akkum
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/11/04/bell-tolls-for-armenians-once-again-in-diyarbakir/
November 4, 2012
Armenian Weekly correspondent Gulisor Akkum reports from Diyarbakir.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.) - The bell tower of Sourp Giragos Armenian
Church in Diyarbakir was opened today and, after decades of silence,
the bell tolled once again for Armenians.
The Sourp Giragos Church bell (Photo by Khatchig Mouradian)
Acting Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, who is originally from
Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd, presided over the opening ceremony, which was
attended by hundreds of Armenians from Turkey and abroad.
The Sourp Giragos Foundation of the Patriarchate began the renovation
of the church in 2009, and the church opened for worship in October
2011. Due to a lack of funding, however, the bell tower was not
rebuilt.
At the opening ceremony of the bell tower, the head of the Sourp
Giragos Foundation, Ergun Ayik, said, `This church was once a
beautiful, living proof of the Armenian population density in this
city. Its architecture stands as testament to how advanced Armenian
civilization was.'
He added, `Our ancestors bequeathed this church to us, yet for known
reason, we weren't able to claim ownership of this heritage. The
renovation marked the beginning of the process of assuming this
ownership.'
The director of Aras Publishing House, Mgrditch Margosyan, in turn,
recounted how 12 years ago, at a symposium on the protection of
Diyarbakir's cultural and historical heritage, speakers were only
discussing fortresses and mosques. `When my turn came to speak, I
brought up the issue of the churches. I suppose such messages
eventually rang a bell.'
Indeed, with the moral and financial support of Diyarbakir Mayor Osman
Baydemir, the renovation of the church was completed, and, once more,
after decades of silence, the sound of the church bell was heard in
Diyarbakir side by side with the calls to prayer from the city's
mosques. (For details on the renovation, click here.)
Built in 1376, Sourp Giragos is the largest Armenian church in the
Middle East. During the Armenian Genocide, the bell tower was
demolished under the pretext that it was higher than the minarets of
the mosques in the city, and the church itself was used as storage
space for confiscated Armenian property. After World War I, Sumerbank
(a state-owned bank) used the church as storage space. (Click here for
a detailed history of the church.)
Translated from Turkish by Khatchig Mouradian.
by Gulisor Akkum
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/11/04/bell-tolls-for-armenians-once-again-in-diyarbakir/
November 4, 2012
Armenian Weekly correspondent Gulisor Akkum reports from Diyarbakir.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (A.W.) - The bell tower of Sourp Giragos Armenian
Church in Diyarbakir was opened today and, after decades of silence,
the bell tolled once again for Armenians.
The Sourp Giragos Church bell (Photo by Khatchig Mouradian)
Acting Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, who is originally from
Diyarbakir/Dikranagerd, presided over the opening ceremony, which was
attended by hundreds of Armenians from Turkey and abroad.
The Sourp Giragos Foundation of the Patriarchate began the renovation
of the church in 2009, and the church opened for worship in October
2011. Due to a lack of funding, however, the bell tower was not
rebuilt.
At the opening ceremony of the bell tower, the head of the Sourp
Giragos Foundation, Ergun Ayik, said, `This church was once a
beautiful, living proof of the Armenian population density in this
city. Its architecture stands as testament to how advanced Armenian
civilization was.'
He added, `Our ancestors bequeathed this church to us, yet for known
reason, we weren't able to claim ownership of this heritage. The
renovation marked the beginning of the process of assuming this
ownership.'
The director of Aras Publishing House, Mgrditch Margosyan, in turn,
recounted how 12 years ago, at a symposium on the protection of
Diyarbakir's cultural and historical heritage, speakers were only
discussing fortresses and mosques. `When my turn came to speak, I
brought up the issue of the churches. I suppose such messages
eventually rang a bell.'
Indeed, with the moral and financial support of Diyarbakir Mayor Osman
Baydemir, the renovation of the church was completed, and, once more,
after decades of silence, the sound of the church bell was heard in
Diyarbakir side by side with the calls to prayer from the city's
mosques. (For details on the renovation, click here.)
Built in 1376, Sourp Giragos is the largest Armenian church in the
Middle East. During the Armenian Genocide, the bell tower was
demolished under the pretext that it was higher than the minarets of
the mosques in the city, and the church itself was used as storage
space for confiscated Armenian property. After World War I, Sumerbank
(a state-owned bank) used the church as storage space. (Click here for
a detailed history of the church.)
Translated from Turkish by Khatchig Mouradian.