A bishops’ pilgrimage to Western Armenia
by Bishop Sebouh Chouljian
Published: Saturday December 12, 2009
Ruins of Moush’s Holy Apostles Monastery.
Galleries
Bishops’ Pilgrimage to Western Armenia
Yerevan – This article originally appeared in Armenian in Azg on
September
12. It was translated by Rev. Fr. Simeon Odabashian.
The bishops’ first pilgrimage
In August 2007 Bishop Sebouh Chouljian, primate of the Gougarats
Diocese in Armenia, yearning to visit his birthplace in the homeland
and feeling the
need to quench the thirst of his soul, together with Bishop Mikael
Ajapahian, primate of the Shirak Diocese in Armenia, traveled to
eastern Turkey – or Western Armenia – for the first time. The pilgrim
bishops toured once-glorious monasteries and churches, ancient cities
and villages of the lost Yergir. Some monuments were half-standing,
some were ruined, and others were leveled to their very
foundations. They saw and reverently experienced everything that still
retains the Armenians’ soul and breath, bears the Armenian scent and
seal, and waits with a longing hope and faith for the good news
of the homecoming of her children.
The pilgrimage, however desirable and impressive, nevertheless
awakened troubling feelings and memories in the hearts of the bishops,
since they were
standing on a land that was both familiar and foreign. It was familiar
because, like their forebears, they were also born there and were
nourished by
that land’s endless blessings, the soul’s thirst having been satisfied
with the cool water of that place’s pure springs. The earth of the
native land
while being so close, nevertheless felt so much more distant…. The
total
realization and feeling of the loss of the historical patrimony in all
aspects were greater than each uncovered historical fact.
Immediately upon his return from Western Armenia, Bishop Sebouh
delivered lectures to students, professors, and intellectuals in
Vanadzor. Without hiding his emotions, he expressed with pain and
regret, "We have lost not only our people, land and culture; we have
lost an entire world; Armenians’ ancient and historically rich world,
whose loss is hardly possible to express
in words."
The 2007 pilgrimage included the following destinations: Kars, Ani,
Van, Aghtamar, Shatakh, Tigranakert, Malatia, Adiyaman, Arabkir,
Erzincan (Yerznka), Terjan (Derjan), Baberd, Ardvin, and Hopa. The
pilgrims visited the ruins of the ancient capital Ani, Kars’ Holy
Apostles Church, Tgori, Houskan Vordi, Varak, the Holy Cross Church of
Aghtamar, Karmir, Tordan, the monastery of St. Daniel in the village
of Aprank and the hermitage of St. Gregory of Narek. They saw the
ruined relics of our homeland.
Bishop Sebouh emotionally described his birthplace and home in
Malatia, its Holy Trinity Church and monastery of St. Gregory the
Illuminator. In Adiyaman he found the home of his grandfather,
Dzeroun, and partook of the fruit of the fig tree planted by his
grandfather and washed in the waters of his well.
During the months of June and July 2009, Bishop Sebouh Chouljian and
Bishop Mikael Ajapahian, having in mind what they saw and heard during
their first pilgrimage (see box), departed once again for Western
Armenia, this time
to include a visit to Cilician Armenia. The geography of the second
pilgrimage was more expansive. The bishops, during their one-month
trip, visited the cities of Ardahan, Kars, Igdir, Ahlat (Khlat), Doghu
Peyazit (Bayazet),
Moush, Chengili (St. Karapet), Tatvan (Datvan), Bitlis (Baghesh),
Sgherd, Midiat, Mardin, Derik, Musaybin (Mdzbin), Oorfa-Kharan
(Yetesia), Ayntap, Kilis, Zeytoun, Kurkughan, Marash, Samandagh-Vaguf
(Musa Ler), Antakia (Antioch), Iskenterun (Aleksandret), Payas,
Dyortyol (Chorek Marzpan), Ayas, Anavarza, Adana, Misis (Mamestia),
Korikos, Tarsus (Tarson), Kozan-Sis, Kesaria-Cappadocia, Svaz
(Sebastia), Devrik, Elazugh-Kharberd, Balou, Bingyol (Japaghjur),
Erzroum (Karin), Olti, and Yusufeli.
In Bishop Sebouh’s words, "The loss of historical memory is restored
in the very place where one has lost it."
We visited, toured and photographed all of the preserved as well as
destroyed Armenian monasteries and churches of the above mentioned
cities and their neighboring villages. In addition, we visited the
remnants of Armenians who still live on their ancestral land and have
been able to preserve their
national identity. The reception we received in the Armenian village
of Vaguf in Musa Ler (120 Armenians) was very warm.
We pilgrim bishops celebrated the Divine Liturgy and conducted the
liturgy
of the hours in that village’s Holy Mother of God (Soorp
Astavadzadzin) Church. We met and conversed with Armenians living in
Elazughum-Kharberd, whose number is 52, with 65 Armenians living in
Sebastia, four in Kesaria, eighty in Iskenderun, and six in Adana. In
every place the conversation between the small groups of Armenians and
us two clergymen was sincere, warm, and
void of interpretive stories of the cruel happenings of the distant
past.
The meetings with them were emotional and comforting, because after
1915 these people stubbornly continued living and working in Turkey,
while keeping their identity, traditions, and national
character. Although they could barely speak Armenian, they no longer
concealed their being Armenian. In fact, they proudly spoke of their
national identity and Christian faith. That final remnant of
Armenians, in addition to having a yearning to keep their identity, to
have a church, and to learn Armenian, have numerous problems related
to their future existence.
We visited a number of famous monasteries and village
churches. Despite its almost-impossible-to-reach and barely accessible
geographical location, we pilgrims managed to reach and pray at the
Aghbrik Monastery, which is dwarfed by high mountains near Mush’s
Ikizler (Khzank) village.
We went to Mush’s (Chengeli) famous Saint Karapet Monastery, Mush’s
(Kepenek) Holy Apostles, Ardzaber (Altun Sach) monasteries on Van’s
southern shore, Deghirmen Altu (Por) village’s Narek Church, where we
came upon large khatchkars (stone-crosses), masterpieces from the
early middle ages. At another monastery outside the village we also
found such khatchkars. On the road
to Elazugh near the village Shahin Kaya we visited a monastery called
Houleh. We enjoyed the hospitality of clergy at Assyrian monasteries
in Midiat and Mardin. At the monastery of St. James of Nisibis we
offered prayers unto God, asking for the saints’ intercessions, and in
Oorfa we visited shrines dedicated to Blessed Job and Father Abraham.
Requiem prayers
Providentially, on the very day of Archbishop Nersess Bozapalian’s
death (in Armenia), Bishop Mikael and I were visiting his birthplace
Kurughan (Antioch region). Accordingly we offered requiem prayers for
his soul in the roofless, ruined house of prayer in which the bishop
of blessed memory was baptized.
Then we visited Antioch’s St. Paul the Apostle Church, the birthplace
of the Apostle Paul in Tarson, other shrines and Cappadocia’s
well-known cave churches. We did not overlook any of the many
fortresses and palaces worthy of remembrance in Cilician Armenia. We
saw the villages of Musa Ler and the
fortresses of Payas, Lambron, Vahik, Hajn, Levon Kla, Anavarza,
Korikos, and Sis. In Sis we visited the ruins of St. Sophia Church and
saw many old bridges. Unfortunately, the abovementioned Armenian
monasteries and churches, with certain exceptions, are either in
complete ruins or have just a few scattered stones remaining as
witness to their existence.
Surprisingly, the Armenian Chalcedonian monasteries and churches
located in the Erzrum region (Tayk) were standing in comparably good
condition. Signs placed near the monasteries provide quite accurate
historical information
concerning the particular monastery and its Armenian origins. Our
surprise
dissipated when we heard that a very large segment of the territory’s
residents were Islamicized Georgians. Thus the signs were a clear
message that these treasures belong to the Armenians and not to the
Georgians. Hence they ought not have any expectations.
Among the monasteries of the territory near Yusuf were also, for
example, in the village Baghbash, the church of Haho, the majestic
monastery of Oshk, Ishhan (Ishkhan) monastery, and Olti’s Russian
church. Especially moving was the Zvartnots-style church in the
village Penek (Banak), which although
in ruins, nevertheless is worthy of remembrance. We also saw in the
vicinity of Yusuf the monasteries of Barhal and Dyort Kilise, the
fortress and church of Artanush, the Yeni Rabat monastery of the
village Bulanukh, etc.
The historical memory of the Turkish people 94 years later
Reflecting on those places, which we either passed by or directly
visited,
I consider it necessary to single out and stress something that
surprised us. Every place that had been an Armenian village, despite
its name being changed officially, continued to be known not by its
Turkish name, but rather by its old Armenian name. The present
residents – Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Alavis – all confirm the fact of
their villages being Armenian. And even more, hardly anyone renounced
or tried to deny the events of 1915 (olaylar) or the truth of the
massacres (katliam). Amazingly some even used the expression
"genocide" (soy kirimi) to define the great massacres of 1915.
However, exceptions to this were observed with the populations in the
few areas where Armenians demonstrated opposition and engaged in
self-defense battles. Those who later came and settled in such (former
Armenian) lands exhibited psychological signs of a fear of loss. They
curtly renounced and denied the Armenian presence even in the face of
the fact that the remaining stones stand as witnesses to the truth of
the existence of Armenian monasteries and churches. ""We have lived
here for centuries, this is our land," the villagers
said. Considering, the context this statement was perhaps
understandable.
Moreover, the decades of official denial of the 1915 genocide of
Armenians
in Turkey has yielded little result. The exception is seen among the
classes that are not historically informed and those who have
resettled in former Armenian settlements. Naturally, the position of
government officials was
also understandable. For instance, a Turkish police officer stopped us
for
a traffic violation and upon observing our Armenian licenses, asked in
an ironic tone, "Didn’t 1915 teach you a lesson? What business do you
have here?" Thus, although state officials are the immediate bearers
and preachers of the denial, (which is clearly an illogical policy),
nevertheless the truth is proclaimed from their very lips. The recent
confession of Turkey’s defense minister, Vejdi Gyonul, in Brussels
proves this statement, "If the Armenians and the Greeks continued to
exist in the land, would we possibly have a national state today?"
Contrary to Turkey’s adopted policy of denial of the Armenian
Genocide, the simple truth is spoken by the local residents. From
grandfathers to grandsons, all are informed of what happened to
Armenians, and how they left behind their skill-crafts, culture,
lifestyle, place names, monasteries, and churches. In practically
every village, the names of Armenians and the crafts belonging to
Armenians are known. They also know the names of people, who
converted (dyonme) or those whose grandmothers were Armenian.
Another interesting revelation of fact greatly moved us pilgrim
clergy. We
met two women living in the village of Konak, located on the road
leading from Devrik to Arabkir. The 80-year-old woman was being led by
her approximately 50-year-old daughter-in-law. Their sincere and
emotionally mixed confession especially surprised us. The latter one,
pointing to the opposite "Saru Chichek" mountain, said, "The state
gathered all of the Armenians of this region and decimated them at the
base of that mountain." And just off the road by a mountain spring,
when we asked a 13-15-year-old village shepherd what he knew about
"Saru Chichek," he immediately responded, "It was there that our
soldiers massacred the Armenian population."
If we want to classify the level of informed response (by age group)
to our inquiries about the Armenian people and the atrocities to which
they were
subjected, then we can confidently say that Turkish citizens aged
regardless of whether they are 80, 55, or 15 are well
informed. Additionally, if today the teenaged shepherd knows of the
Armenians and the brutal massacres carried out against them, we can
certainly confirm that (in this case) after
90 or more years, the Armenian people continue to live in the memories
of the Turks and Kurds.
In different settlements we often heard sentiments of regret from the
Turkish, Kurdish, or Alavi population such as, "What a shame, what a
great shame…. What friendly, educated, well-informed, skilled people
and cultivators of the land we lost. Yes, don’t be surprised, we Turks
are the losers." Indeed, I experienced feelings of sadness and
helplessness as I stood by the
ruins of Moush’s St. Karapet monastery, and observed the remnants of
the monastery’s inscriptions, its khatchkars, and decorative
engravings, which had been relocated to the wall of an adjacent home –
erected with our sacred
stones. Suddenly the homeowner (a man of some 40 years) came outside,
and addressing me from afar in a self-justifying tone, exclaimed, "I
was not yet born in those years, thus I am not guilty."
And near the ruined Holy Apostles monastery located at the height of
Mush’s Kepenek village (Arag), one of a group of Kurds who surrounded
us, seeing
our emotional agitation and as if to console us said, "Our people are
uneducated. They quickly get excited and cannot judge for
themselves. They fail
to think about anything for long and then do whatever is commanded
them. Only later do they consider what they’ve done and regret it."
Then my Kurdish interlocutor told how during the 1950s the government,
on the pretense of building a bridge over a nearby river, promised to
exempt the Kurds from their land taxes if they would destroy the Holy
Apostles monastery and take the stones to the shore of the river for
use in the construction of the bridge.
Residents of areas located near Armenia and generally in former
Armenian settlements even remembered which Turkish general, vali
(governor), mayor, or village chief gave the command to blow up or
destroy their village’s Armenian monasteries and churches. Somehow, it
was in this way that they also were showing defiance to Turkey’s
official policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. By thus negating the
policy, they were indirectly revealing its emptiness. In general, it
must be noted that in the Turkish context of undying racism, even
inconsistencies in the different layers of society are noticeable with
regard to the knowledge of the truth.
>From Ardahan we traveled to the village of Akche Kale (Aghjka Berd)
near the shore of Lake Chuldur. There I asked an 85-year-old woman
where the name
of the village came from. She responded, "From the Armenians."
I furthered my question, "Was it possible that any Armenians lived
here now?"
"There were infidels living in all these villages, my son. Oh,
Atatürk’s
soldiers fired with cannons from the opposite mountain, and massacred
and expelled them," sounded her response.
"But, mayrik, night and day on TV they say that the Turks did not
massacre
the Armenians," I continued.
"No, my son, no, what do they know? You ask us," said the Turkish
woman.
"But weren’t the Armenians innocent victims?" I asked.
"If we didn’t massacre them, who would have given us this beautiful
land? This worked out quite well for us," excitedly said this old
Turkish woman named Adalet Kuluch (sword of justice). Of course, this
woman’s words might have been different if she knew that we were
Armenian.
It can also be assumed that that pious segment of the Turkish people,
which prays five times a day (namaz) in the hundreds of churches
converted to mosques, if it does not pray for the Armenians who built
those buildings, it
must at least remember their onetime presence. The one who built his
house
with the sacred stones of the Armenian church, as well as the Turks
and Kurds now living in homes built by Armenians, must every night
when going to bed or at mealtime remember the Armenians and feel their
presence.
Even the Turkish government officials in Ankara each day upon entering
the
president of the republic’s "Chankaya" (Belfry-church) palace must
remember that territory’s original Armenian owner. Finally to complete
this list of witnesses are the many formerly Armenian established
schools, colleges, theatres, majestic homes of wealthy Armenians,
hospitals, factories, and workshops, which today are serving the
Turkish people. The very walls and stones of these various types of
buildings are "crying out."
The witnesses were many. The more we conversed with the residents of
those
places, the more we were convinced that it is impossible to conceal
the truth, in the same way that "a needle cannot be concealed in a
bag." Despite the flow of time and the changes which occur over time,
and regardless of how much people may transgress before history, it’s
all the same – for they cannot oppose or negate the genetic memory,
which is inherited and reinforced by personal connection.
Therefore, we are able to once again say with confidence that the
memories
of Armenians, their way of life in Turkey, as well as the memories of
the massacres will hardly be forgotten. For they are still deeply
maintained in
the memory of the Turks and are being preserved just as those threads
of memory of the Armenian descendents of the victims of the massacres
and deprivations. By virtue of their roots, these descendants are
connected to the native land contained within the boundaries of
today’s Turkey and have genetically inherited all of the consequences
of the genocide. The historical memory of the people is stronger than
the propaganda of denial. In the general memories of the Turk, Kurd,
Alavi and Arab peoples, the Armenians are an everyday living presence,
for better or for worse.
Therefore, by the Turkish government placing the historical and common
memory of the Turkish population in doubt, it is exhibiting a distrust
and insult towards its own citizens and their dignity. This is what
the historians
and state propaganda machine in Turkey are doing with their promotion
of denial. Of course, the pain of the Armenian and Turkish people is
not the same, but the historical memory is the same.
In fact, the question of whether the Turkish people are informed or
uninformed of the events of 1915 is really a nonquestion. The Armenian
Genocide is an undeniable fact for them. Simply put Turkish historians
and diplomats must have courage and assist in the removal of the
mutual distrust existing
between the two peoples, by facing their own history and renouncing
the fruitless attempts to erase the reality of the genocide from the
Turkish people’s common memory.
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