ARMENIAN CHURCH IN ESKISEHIR TO BECOME CULTURAL CENTER

Today’s Zaman
April 8 2010
Turkey

An Armenian church located in the Sivrihisar district in the central
province of EskiÅ~_ehir is to be restored and turned into a cultural
center, Sivrihisar Mayor Fikret Arslan announced on Wednesday.

Established in 1881, Surp Yerortutyun is one of the biggest Armenian
churches in Anatolia. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Arslan
said that they are determined to restore the church to preserve the
town’s history.

Sivrihisar is home to many historic structures including the town’s
Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), Zaim Aga Konagı (an old mansion) and many
Ottoman houses as well as the Surp Yerortutyun church. "In addition
to the municipality’s routine maintenance, we are carrying out many
projects on our historic buildings in Sivrihisar. We’ve completed
the restoration of Zaim Aga Konagı and some Ottoman houses. We
are planning to restore the Ulu Cami, a historic clock tower and an
Armenian bath as well as the Armenian Surp Yerortutyun church. We
want to protect our history for new generations," noted Arslan.

Arslan said the old church, which has ornate decorations, has been
used as storage for approximately 20 years since being abandoned.

Stating that they have removed the reliefs on angels that were above
the church’s entrance to prevent them from being stolen, Arslan
pointed out that the church, which needs an urgent restoration, has
been attracting a growing number of vsitors. Arslan added that they
are working in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
on the church’s restoration.

EskiÅ~_ehir Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Ali Osman Gul said
the restoration will be launched soon, underlining that officials from
Ankara’s Middle East Technical University (ODTU) and Gazi University
will start environmental planning around the church.

"After we complete the restoration of the Armenian church, we will
convert it into a cultural center. We believe that many people will
come to EskiÅ~_ehir to visit the church, resulting in a positive
contribution to tourism in EskiÅ~_ehir," Gul added.