Politics play leading role at blessing of Armenian church

Politics play leading role at blessing of Armenian church

Sunday, November 8, 2009

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

KAYSERİ – Hürriyet Daily News

At the benediction of Kayseri’s historic church politics were on the leading role. Officiating the ceremony, on behalf of Turkish Armenian Patriarchate, Archishop Aram Ateşyan says Turkish Armenians should be considered as something seperate when the topic is convergence between Turkey and Armenia. ‘The church was renovated by the community not by the state’

Politics played a leading role at the benediction of Kayseri’s Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator.

Archishop Aram Ateşyan, who was officiating at the ceremony on behalf of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, started his blessings in Armenian and continued in Turkish. At the benediction, witnessed by members of the international and local media, Ateşyan also delivered a speech that touched on several important issues for the Turkish-Armenian community.

“Turkish-Armenians should be considered a separate group when the topic is the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. These topics are different from each other,” Ateşyan said, adding that Turkish Armenians are not bounded by Turkey’s relations with the Armenian diaspora or Armenia itself. “We don’t want to be included in the process because we are children of this country.”

Calling out to the packed community inside the church, many of whom were Turkish-Armenians from Istanbul, Ateşyan continued his speech: “You, the Istanbul Armenians, will continue to be loyal to this country. As citizens of this country, you must ask for support from the state in solving your problems.”

Ateşyan expressed regret about a story titled “This is the difference,” which was published in the daily Hürriyet last Monday. “The story stated that our church was renovated by the state and that it was only then opened for worship. They were trying to relate the restoration to the relations between Armenia and Turkey, when in fact the church was restored with the financial support of the community. Moreover, it was never closed to religious services.

“The community doesn’t ask for support from the government because they are concerned that churches might be renovated into museums, as in the case of Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island in Lake Van,” he said. “That’s why they organized the renovation and financed it.”

Governor, mayor absent

The Turkish-Armenian community members from Istanbul arrived in Kayseri on Oct. 7 in a group of roughly 300. Four buses arrived in Kayseri, one of which was organized by Istanbul’s Bakırköy municipality. The community did not answer questions from members of the press, citing the long journey from Istanbul. Kayseri Gov. Mevlüt Bilici and Mayor Mehmet Özhaseki did not attend either Saturday’s benediction or Sunday’s services, although they were invited by the community administration. The municipality’s press officer declined to answer the Daily News’ questions.

But there were some politicians in attendance at the ceremonies. A Kayseri deputy from the Republican People's Party, or CHP, Şefki Kutluoğlu, was among them. After a one-hour meeting with the administration board of the church, Kutluoğlu answered some questions, saying that his family was from Kayseri and that he remembered how peaceful the atmosphere was in the town when he was a child.

‘Community restored the church’

Historically, the central Anatolian town of Kayseri was home to numerous churches and monasteries. The last church left standing in the city is the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Representing the administrative board of the church, Arsen Aşık also reacted to last Monday’s reports concerning the restoration of the church.

“Most of the financial support came from Istanbul Armenians, who struggled a great deal to pool together money for the restoration,” Aşık said, adding that he thinks the public confuses the church in Kayseri with the Church of the Holy Cross. “First of all, the public should know that St. Gregory the Illuminator wasn’t an abandoned or destroyed church. And second of all, the state did not help with the restoration.”

The restorations of the two churches are not alike. The Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island was restored in 2007 by then-Culture Minister Atilla Koç. Relations were strained between Turkey, Turkish-Armenians and the Armenian diaspora when the church was restored and opened as a museum without placing a cross atop its dome.

But current Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay announced that the cross would be replaced and the building would be opened shortly for religious services.

Church managed from Istanbul

There is one person currently living in Kayseri as a representative of the Armenian community. The church itself is managed by Istanbul Armenians who used to live in Kayseri.

The members instigated a legal process to transfer management of the church to Istanbul, after they realized there was no community left in Kayseri.

The Istanbul community identified a loophole in the law, first proving there weren’t any members of the community left in Kayseri and then stating that the church could be managed by a selected council. The result was undertaken on behalf of the community. Now the council consists of three members and four associate members.

“The administrative board is responsible for everything from the priest’s wages to the money spent for the restoration,” Aşık said. He served for the church as a board member for many years and is one of the community members with extensive information on the church’s history. Aşık claimed that the bell was stolen and was traced by the community.

“After many years, it was determined that the bell is in Argaeus [Erciyes Dağı]. People claim that it was there until 1983, but now no one really knows where it is,” he said.

BOX

Last churches in Anatolia

The Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is one of the last two Armenian churches in Anatolia that have a foundation looking after its welfare. The other one is in Hatay’s Samanlıdağ district. The church has been open since 1191. Built of a special stone named “kevenk,” the church draws attention with its design and craftsmanship.