ARMENIAN RED CHURCH WATCHED BY MUSLIM WOMAN
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/730221/armenian-red-church-watched-by-muslim-woman.html
15:00, 23 August, 2013
YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS: Only one of the five Armenian churches
in the Derik District of Mardin Province of Turkey has remained stable
up to now. It is the Red Church. As reported by Armenpress, quoting
the Turkish News website evrensel.net, the Church was built in 1650.
After the Armenian Genocide of 1915 the Red Church, like the other
churches, for 40 years was used by the Turkish army as a stable.
The website publishes that today only one old Armenian couple has
remained at Derik. The Church, which suffered so many disasters, is
being watched by a local 60-year-old Muslim woman Khatun Gyorunen,
who cleans the Church and accepts the pilgrims and tourists.
The Turkish News website evrensel.net states also that the Armenian
Red Church is being cared by the Muslim woman, as during the Armenian
Genocide in 1915 the local Armenians were massacred and subjected to
deportation and at present there are no Christian Armenians in the
area. A ritual procedure is held at the Church once a year by the
Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The first inhabitants of Mardin appeared there in 6500-6000 B.C. In
1914 it had 25000 mix population, 1500 of which were Armenians,
the others were Turks, Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs and others. Mardin
was ruled by Persians in 6-4 centuries. In 1104 Arkudiks became the
owners of Mardin. Till 1517, the city was under control of the ruler of
Safev - Ismail Pasha, after which the city was conquered by Ottomans
severing the vibrating history of the city. The word "merdin", which
in Syrian legends means "fortresses", is the root of the name of the
city. When one Byzantine general killed a priest whose name was Din,
the city started to call Mateidin, which meant - Din is killed.
From: Baghdasarian
http://armenpress.am/eng/news/730221/armenian-red-church-watched-by-muslim-woman.html
15:00, 23 August, 2013
YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS: Only one of the five Armenian churches
in the Derik District of Mardin Province of Turkey has remained stable
up to now. It is the Red Church. As reported by Armenpress, quoting
the Turkish News website evrensel.net, the Church was built in 1650.
After the Armenian Genocide of 1915 the Red Church, like the other
churches, for 40 years was used by the Turkish army as a stable.
The website publishes that today only one old Armenian couple has
remained at Derik. The Church, which suffered so many disasters, is
being watched by a local 60-year-old Muslim woman Khatun Gyorunen,
who cleans the Church and accepts the pilgrims and tourists.
The Turkish News website evrensel.net states also that the Armenian
Red Church is being cared by the Muslim woman, as during the Armenian
Genocide in 1915 the local Armenians were massacred and subjected to
deportation and at present there are no Christian Armenians in the
area. A ritual procedure is held at the Church once a year by the
Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The first inhabitants of Mardin appeared there in 6500-6000 B.C. In
1914 it had 25000 mix population, 1500 of which were Armenians,
the others were Turks, Assyrians, Kurds, Arabs and others. Mardin
was ruled by Persians in 6-4 centuries. In 1104 Arkudiks became the
owners of Mardin. Till 1517, the city was under control of the ruler of
Safev - Ismail Pasha, after which the city was conquered by Ottomans
severing the vibrating history of the city. The word "merdin", which
in Syrian legends means "fortresses", is the root of the name of the
city. When one Byzantine general killed a priest whose name was Din,
the city started to call Mateidin, which meant - Din is killed.
From: Baghdasarian