KURDISH HEADMAN OF VILLAGE IN VAN WANTS TO RESTORE ARMENIAN CHURCH

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.08.2007 17:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Kurdish headman of Yerekdagi village (Van
province, Turkey), where the Holy Cross Church of Varaga temple
complex is situated, has purchased construction materials for repairing
the roof of the church built in the 13th century," historian Samvel
Karapetyan told the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. He said the headman
has turned to tourists who visit Van, including Armenians with a
request to assign money for paying workers. "I do not know anything
about the future of this initiative," Karapetyan said.

Van, the administrative center of historical Vaspourakan province,
has been one of the most important places for the Armenian nation
over thousands of years. In 1914 there were almost 100 Armenian
monasteries and more than 500 churches in the Van province of the
Ottoman Empire. Armenians left these territories in July of 1915 with
the retreating Russian troops.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress