ITALIAN ARCHITECT GETS INVOLVED IN HOLY CROSS ARMENIAN CHURCH RESTORATION IN TURKEY
Armenpress
September 2, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: An Italian architect, invited by
Turkish culture ministry to help restore the Armenian Holy Cross
Church on Akhtamar Island Van in Turkey, is on the ground, Haraj
Armenian newspaper in Paris reported.
It identified the Italian as Paolo Panei, who is also a UNESCO expert.
Panei is said to define what kind of chemical substances should be
used to clean the church’s walls. Haraj also quoted a Turkish Armenian
architect involved in the restoration works as saying that it will
take a long time.
The Church of Holy Cross was built by architect Manuel between 915
and 921 AD. The restoration project was developed in 2003 by Turkish
culture ministry in cooperation with the Conflict Resolution and Peace
Establishment Foundation of the Washington-based American University.
Haraj also reported that a Turkish Eapa publisher’s has released a
book that contains interesting facts about an Armenian orphanage in
Turkish Urfa.
Titled ‘The Armenian Orphanage of Urfa’ it was written in 1919 by an
American, Mary Caroline Holmes, who responded to calls to help Armenian
orphans in Turkey in the aftermath of the 1915 genocide, leaving her
native New York for eastern Anatolia and was appointed head of the
orphanage. She writes when she arrived the Armenian population of
Urfa had been either killed or driven out and the plight of remaining
Armenian children was horrible.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress