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Bengal's Church of Holy Resurrection endangered: Daily Star Online
http://armenpress.am/eng/print/723602/bengal%E2%80%99s-church-of-holy-resurrection-endangered-daily-star-online.html
17:52, 22 June, 2013
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The destiny of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Holy Resurrection in Bengal, Bangladesh, is endangered after
the death of the last Armenian of the Region's Armenian community. As
reported by Armenpress, the periodical Daily Star Online published an
article devoted to the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy
Resurrection. The article is as follows: `Once a flourishing community
in Bengal, Armenians have dwindled in number to such an extent that
only one man now represents the entire community in Dhaka. He is known
by his Anglicised name of Michael Joseph Martin.
When Martin, now in his late seventies, dies, it will throw into doubt
the future of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection, one
of Dhaka's most beautiful churches.
Martin, whose Armenian name is Mikel Housep Martirossian, shoulders
the responsibility of preserving the building against the ravages of
the weather and pollution. The cemetery in the church is akin to a
huge history book, chronicling the history of the Armenian people in
the region.
Founded in 1781, the Armenian Church is a historically significant
architectural monument situated in Armanitola in old Dhaka. The church
bears testimony to the existence of a significant Armenian community
in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Following the domination of their homeland by the Persian powers of
the time, Armenians were sent by their new rulers to the Bengal region
for political and economic reasons. They came to Dhaka for business
and traded in jute and leather. The area where they lived came to be
known as Armanitola.
The now famous church was built on Armenian Street in Armanitola, then
a thriving business district. The site was an Armenian graveyard
before the church was built, and the tombstones that have survived
serve as a chronicle of Armenian life in the area. Agaminus Catachik,
an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church.
In the fifty years following the church's construction, a clock tower
was built on its western side. It is said that the clock could be
heard four miles away, and people synchronised their watches with the
sound of the tower's bell. The clock stopped in 1880, and an
earthquake destroyed the tower in 1897.
The church plan is rectangular. Features include an arched gate and an
arched door. There are four doors and 27 windows. The main floor is
divided into three parts: a pulpit enclosed by railings, a middle
section with two folding doors, and an area separated by a wooden
fence for seating women and children. There is a spiral staircase
leading into the church.
Today, the church is usually closed. It has been the subject of BBC
and AFP documentaries, and has received recognition from the
Bangladesh government as an archaeological site.
Martin, the custodian of the church, came to Dhaka in 1942 during
World War II, following in the footsteps of his father who had settled
in the region decades earlier.
From: A. Papazian
http://armenpress.am/eng/print/723602/bengal%E2%80%99s-church-of-holy-resurrection-endangered-daily-star-online.html
17:52, 22 June, 2013
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The destiny of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Holy Resurrection in Bengal, Bangladesh, is endangered after
the death of the last Armenian of the Region's Armenian community. As
reported by Armenpress, the periodical Daily Star Online published an
article devoted to the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy
Resurrection. The article is as follows: `Once a flourishing community
in Bengal, Armenians have dwindled in number to such an extent that
only one man now represents the entire community in Dhaka. He is known
by his Anglicised name of Michael Joseph Martin.
When Martin, now in his late seventies, dies, it will throw into doubt
the future of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection, one
of Dhaka's most beautiful churches.
Martin, whose Armenian name is Mikel Housep Martirossian, shoulders
the responsibility of preserving the building against the ravages of
the weather and pollution. The cemetery in the church is akin to a
huge history book, chronicling the history of the Armenian people in
the region.
Founded in 1781, the Armenian Church is a historically significant
architectural monument situated in Armanitola in old Dhaka. The church
bears testimony to the existence of a significant Armenian community
in the region in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Following the domination of their homeland by the Persian powers of
the time, Armenians were sent by their new rulers to the Bengal region
for political and economic reasons. They came to Dhaka for business
and traded in jute and leather. The area where they lived came to be
known as Armanitola.
The now famous church was built on Armenian Street in Armanitola, then
a thriving business district. The site was an Armenian graveyard
before the church was built, and the tombstones that have survived
serve as a chronicle of Armenian life in the area. Agaminus Catachik,
an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church.
In the fifty years following the church's construction, a clock tower
was built on its western side. It is said that the clock could be
heard four miles away, and people synchronised their watches with the
sound of the tower's bell. The clock stopped in 1880, and an
earthquake destroyed the tower in 1897.
The church plan is rectangular. Features include an arched gate and an
arched door. There are four doors and 27 windows. The main floor is
divided into three parts: a pulpit enclosed by railings, a middle
section with two folding doors, and an area separated by a wooden
fence for seating women and children. There is a spiral staircase
leading into the church.
Today, the church is usually closed. It has been the subject of BBC
and AFP documentaries, and has received recognition from the
Bangladesh government as an archaeological site.
Martin, the custodian of the church, came to Dhaka in 1942 during
World War II, following in the footsteps of his father who had settled
in the region decades earlier.
From: A. Papazian