Hürriyet, ANKARA
April 18 2009

Church wary of state’s offer

ISTANBUL -The foundation overseeing the Surp Giragos Armenian Church
in Southeast Turkey has welcomed the culture minister’s offer to help
with restoration efforts, but only if the building can remain as a
place of worship.

The church is currently in a decrepit state and in urgent need of
restoration.

Culture Minister ErtuÄ?rul Günay, speaking to the
Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review last week, said if the
Turkish Armenian community asked, then he was willing to help with
restoration of the church. The head of the Diyarbakır Surp
Giragos Church Foundation, Ergün Ayık, in response told
the Daily News: "We would be honored to get help from the
ministry. However, we are against it if it is going to be transformed
into a museum like the Van Akhdamar Church."

Ayık said their restoration project prepared with the help of
the Protecting Environmental and Cultural Treasures Foundation, or
Ã?EKÃ`L, was rejected by the state Foundations Institute.

"The Foundations Institute said they would not contribute to the
project. The Diyarbakır Municipality will help with part of the
restoration project within the old city walls. Å?iÅ?li
Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül will also help," he said.

Ayık said the church covered an area of 3,020 square meters and
the restoration would cost 3.2 million Turkish Liras.

The Turkish Armenian community had dug deep into their pockets and
donated 800,000 liras, he said. "I am calling on all who call
Diyarbakır their home, irrespective of religion. Let’s protect
the city’s heritage," said Ayık.

He said the church was used as a command center for German officers
during World War I and afterwards used as a cloth depot for
state-owned Sümerbank until 1950. "The church was bought back
by the community in 1950 and served as a house of worship until 1980,"
he said.

After 1980, Diyarbakır’s Armenian community shrunk to five
families, he said. "According to the Foundations Law, those who took
positions in foundations in Anatolia were obligated to reside in the
cities where the buildings were. However, there was no community left
in Diyarbakır. The church was left with no protection and it
was stripped bare by treasure hunters."

When the Foundations Law was amended 18 months ago, their research
yielded many official documents belonging to the building, including
directives from Ottoman sultans.

He said once the restoration was complete, they wanted to use the
church as a cultural center that would serve as a house of worship a
few times a year. The church building was very original, said
Ayık, who is also an engineer, noting that it also carried
certain characteristics of the region.