ARMENIAN EXPERT PRAISES TURKS FOR RESTORATION OF ARMENIAN CHURCH, BUT SAYS IT IS TO MAKE MONEY
Armenpress
Feb 21 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: A reputed Armenian expert on
historical and cultural monuments praised today a Turkish company
for a good job, which it did to restore the Armenian Akhtamar Church
on an island off the southern shore of lake Van in eastern Anatolia,
but blamed the Turkish authorities saying their goal is not to take
care of a brilliant pattern of medieval Armenian architecture, but
to make money from thousands of tourists, especially from Armenian
Diaspora, who will visit the site.
Samvel Karapetian, one of the best experts on Armenian architecture,
said that hundreds of other Armenian monuments which have survived
in Turkey are ignored. He said no traces have remained of an Armenian
monastery that was 5 km off the Akhtamar Church.
Turkish authorities have already announced that the Church of the
Holy Cross will be opened on April 15.
Earlier reports from Turkey suggested that Turkish authorities
planned originally to open it on April 24 when Armenians across the
globe will be marking the 92-nd anniversary of the 1915 genocide, but
they revised this decision after complaints from Armenian Diaspora
organizations and particularly from Patriarch Mesrop Mutafian, head
of the Turkish Patriarchate of the Armenian Church.
Akhtamar Church was constructed by Armenian architect Manuel between
915 and 921 A.D. under the supervision of King Gagik I. Turkey
has spent nearly $2 million to restore it. In a recent interview
with a Turkish daily Zaman Turkish culture minister Koc shrugged off
allegations that the renovation was an attempt to counter the Armenian
campaign for the international recognition of the 1915 genocide.
"We repair the houses of worship not only of monotheistic but also
of polytheistic religions, because we consider them our inherited
legacy, our wealth," he said. Koc said Turkish Tourism Ministry has
already extended official invitations to prominent individuals from
the Armenian Diaspora and leading Armenian religious leaders and
plans also to extend invitations to the culture minister of Armenia
and countries that host significant Armenian population at home,
such as Lebanon, Ukraine, Russia and the United States.
Koc said also the renovation is out of respect for Turkey’s cultural
inheritance as opening of the renewed Akhtamar Church may come as a
further incentive to ease acrimony between Turks and Armenians.