Armenpress

ARMENIAN ARCHITECT TO HELP TURKISH FIRM RECONSTRUCT AKHTAMAR CHURCH

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian architect is making the final
arrangements for leaving for Turkey to join there a team of Turkish
architects who have been selected by Turkish ministry of culture to
reconstruct the Armenian Cathedral Church of the Holy Cross located on the
Island of Akhtamar in Lake Van. The Church was built by architect Manuel
between 915 and 921 AD. Deputy Armenian culture minister Gagik Gyurjian told
Armenpress the reconstruction will be carried out by a Turkish firm selected
through a tender, but he declined to reveal the name of the Armenian
architecture for the time being, saying his work would of great importance
in terms of taking the chill off of the strained Turkish-Armenian relations.
Gyurjian said the architect’s task would be to help Turkish architects
reconstruct the church in line with traditions of medieval Armenian
architecture and also to work to have it protected by UNESCO, since each
country decides which are the monuments to be protected by UNESCO.
The restoration project was developed in 2003 in cooperation with the
Conflict Resolution and Peace Establishment Foundation of the
Washington-based American University and was approved by Armenian and
Turkish governments. Late last year a Turkish daily Milliyet reported from
Van that the marvelous carvings of the Church were regularly used as targets
for shooting practice by visitors. The newspaper published also a photo
where one could see the state of carvings after such visits. The
correspondent reported that the church was protected by a guard in the
summer time only during the working hours. During the rest of the day the
visitors entertained themselves by shooting on the carvings of the Akhtamar
Church, and some of them even tried to find some treasure.
Pr. Veli Seckin, professor at the archaeology department of the
University of Van was quoted as saying that there are rumors among the
population that there is treasure cached in the island of Akhatamar. Even
the guard of the Church was arrested while he was “hunting for treasure”. In
May 2004 another Turkish daily Zaman alerted that the famous church of the
Holy Cross of the Akhtamar was almost in ruins. The church, which is visited
by many foreign tourists, is badly neglected and close to ruins. Both its
foundation and the ceiling have cracks and holes.