Armenian church opens for service in Diyarbakýr - VIDEO
Armenian church opens for service in Diyarbakýr - VIDEO
The last delegation to arrive was that of Armenian women entrepreneurs’ delegation. They arrived in Diyarbakýr on the occasion of consecration of restored Surp Giragos Church, yesterday.
On the sidelines of the visit, the delegation met with Diyarbakýr Sur Municipality Mayor Abdullah Demirbaþ.
As Mr. Demirbas noted at the meeting, leaflets saying “Welcome” in Armenian will be distributed during the consecration ceremony. “We welcome you to the land of your ancestors, and we hope this land will continue carrying signs of your culture,” the Mayor said.
To welcomed the Armenian and foreign delegation guests were also BDP Diyarbakýr deputies Leyla Zana and Altan Tan, as well as Mayor of Diyarbakýr Osman Baydemir. Baydemir welcomed the delegations by saying "welcome to your home".
Today the first service will be performed at the church.
A delegation of prominent members of the American-Armenian community was scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Friday, October 21, in an unprecedented visit to various religious sites throughout the country.
The 25-member delegation, which includes U.S.-based influential businessmen and religious figures, will embark on a six-day tour of key religious sites in Istanbul, Diyarbakýr and Van. The visit comes after the completion of restoration work on the 15th-century Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakýr province, one of the largest churches in the Middle East and a historic center of Turkey’s once thriving Armenian population.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and other high level members of the American-Armenian diocese will participate in the church’s reopening which is slated for Oct. 23. The delegation also plans to attend a ceremony at the recently restored Armenian church on Akhtamar Island in the province of Van.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakýr/Dikranagerd is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East and one of the most important works of Armenian architecture. Since 1915, it has been subjected to both wilful destruction and neglect, as a result of which it was in ruins and in danger of complete collapse – until 2009, when a reconstruction project was launched by the Surp Giragos Foundation Board in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate. The Board was successful in legalizing deed and title for the Surp Giragos Church property, then obtaining authorization and all required permits for the reconstruction, followed by worldwide fundraising activities. The Surp Giragos Church, originally dating from 1515, with seven altars and a huge footprint of 15,000 square feet, had a 100 feet high bell tower, with a bell molded by the famed Zildjians and a large golden cross at the top. The bell tower was bombarded and destroyed by German/Ottoman cannon fire in 1915, as it was deemed unacceptable to have a church tower higher than the mosque minarets. Unlike the other Armenian architectural masterpiece, the Holy Cross Armenian Church at Akhtamar Island near Van, Turkey, which was renovated by the Turkish government but converted to a state museum, The Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakýr, is officially recognized as an Armenian Church under the control of the Armenian Patriarchate. When reconstruction is completed, it will be not only an outstanding Armenian architectural masterpiece, but also a historic evidence to past Armenian presence in the region, as well as a future pilgrimage destination for all Armenians.
The total reconstruction budget is 2.5 million dollars. The project is well underway, the first phase of the project already completed, on time and within budget. The worldwide fundraising efforts have successfully raised the funds needed for the first phase from the Armenian communities within Turkey, Middle East and Europe, with the focus now shifting to North American Armenian communities in New York and Toronto. After the church reconstruction is completed, the legal claims phase will be launched to pursue the transfer of deeds for all the properties originally owned by the Church prior to 1915. The Foundation Board has already successfully reclaimed a few of these properties, which will secure a steady income toward the maintenance of the church buildings, but there are almost 200 other properties which will go through the legal channels for reclaim.
On the sidelines of the visit, the delegation met with Diyarbakýr Sur Municipality Mayor Abdullah Demirbaþ.
As Mr. Demirbas noted at the meeting, leaflets saying “Welcome” in Armenian will be distributed during the consecration ceremony. “We welcome you to the land of your ancestors, and we hope this land will continue carrying signs of your culture,” the Mayor said.
To welcomed the Armenian and foreign delegation guests were also BDP Diyarbakýr deputies Leyla Zana and Altan Tan, as well as Mayor of Diyarbakýr Osman Baydemir. Baydemir welcomed the delegations by saying "welcome to your home".
Today the first service will be performed at the church.
A delegation of prominent members of the American-Armenian community was scheduled to arrive in Turkey on Friday, October 21, in an unprecedented visit to various religious sites throughout the country.
The 25-member delegation, which includes U.S.-based influential businessmen and religious figures, will embark on a six-day tour of key religious sites in Istanbul, Diyarbakýr and Van. The visit comes after the completion of restoration work on the 15th-century Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakýr province, one of the largest churches in the Middle East and a historic center of Turkey’s once thriving Armenian population.
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and other high level members of the American-Armenian diocese will participate in the church’s reopening which is slated for Oct. 23. The delegation also plans to attend a ceremony at the recently restored Armenian church on Akhtamar Island in the province of Van.
A BIT OF HISTORY
The Surp Giragos Church in Diyarbakýr/Dikranagerd is the largest Armenian church in the Middle East and one of the most important works of Armenian architecture. Since 1915, it has been subjected to both wilful destruction and neglect, as a result of which it was in ruins and in danger of complete collapse – until 2009, when a reconstruction project was launched by the Surp Giragos Foundation Board in Istanbul, under the auspices of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate. The Board was successful in legalizing deed and title for the Surp Giragos Church property, then obtaining authorization and all required permits for the reconstruction, followed by worldwide fundraising activities. The Surp Giragos Church, originally dating from 1515, with seven altars and a huge footprint of 15,000 square feet, had a 100 feet high bell tower, with a bell molded by the famed Zildjians and a large golden cross at the top. The bell tower was bombarded and destroyed by German/Ottoman cannon fire in 1915, as it was deemed unacceptable to have a church tower higher than the mosque minarets. Unlike the other Armenian architectural masterpiece, the Holy Cross Armenian Church at Akhtamar Island near Van, Turkey, which was renovated by the Turkish government but converted to a state museum, The Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakýr, is officially recognized as an Armenian Church under the control of the Armenian Patriarchate. When reconstruction is completed, it will be not only an outstanding Armenian architectural masterpiece, but also a historic evidence to past Armenian presence in the region, as well as a future pilgrimage destination for all Armenians.
The total reconstruction budget is 2.5 million dollars. The project is well underway, the first phase of the project already completed, on time and within budget. The worldwide fundraising efforts have successfully raised the funds needed for the first phase from the Armenian communities within Turkey, Middle East and Europe, with the focus now shifting to North American Armenian communities in New York and Toronto. After the church reconstruction is completed, the legal claims phase will be launched to pursue the transfer of deeds for all the properties originally owned by the Church prior to 1915. The Foundation Board has already successfully reclaimed a few of these properties, which will secure a steady income toward the maintenance of the church buildings, but there are almost 200 other properties which will go through the legal channels for reclaim.
