Renovator criticizes politicization of SE Turkish church

Saturday, September 18, 2010

VERCİHAN ZİFLİOĞLU

VAN - Hürriyet Daily News

Architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation of the historical Surp Haç Church on Akdamar Island, says parties from both Turkey and Armenia have overly politicized recent activity over the erection of a cross on the edifice. Still, the fact that the service is going ahead is a big breakthrough, he says

The cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey earlier this week and is now on the Akdamar Island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday's service.

Quarrels over the erection of a cross on the Surp Haç Church on Van’s Akdamar Island should not detract from Sunday’s special religious service to be held there, according to one of the house of worship’s renovators.

“I have constantly stated that the cross should not be used for politics. The cross would be placed on the dome after the renovation but it has been politicized by both sides so much that it ended up causing disputes,” architect and renovation expert Zakaria Mildanoğlu, who participated in the renovation and followed the developments throughout the process, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Armenian priests from Istanbul and Deputy Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan will lead the service in the name of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey in the first service at the historical church in 95 years.

However, the service will not be attended by clerics from the Armenian Apostolic Central Church of Armenia nor the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate following a strain in relations which developed after church renovators in 2007 neglected to erect the cross.

With only days left before the historic service, which Turkey will only allow once a year, the issue of the cross on the church is still causing tensions. Following the Central Church’s declaration that it would not send clerics if there was no cross, tours transferring hundreds of Armenians to the eastern province of Van were cancelled.

But the cross was handed to the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey on Tuesday and is now on the island, waiting to be blessed at the service and placed on the dome even though the erection is unlikely to occur during Sunday’s service.

Mildanoğlu said the Istanbul Patriarchate made some mistakes during the renovation, adding that legal Armenian Istanbul Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan did not want to attend the church when he heard it would open as a museum.

“The renovations were the first step, it was obvious even in those days that service in church would be allowed. He did not accept when I told him we should make preparations,” Mildanoğlu said.

“The [Istanbul] Patriarchate could have made an important mission, it could have provided steady information sharing with the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchate. This type of mediation could have eliminated misunderstandings and tension,” he said.

If everything had been done calmly, with the Istanbul Patriarchate presenting its demands to the Turkish government formally, even Armenian President Serge Sarkisian could have been invited to the service.

“Such an invitation would benefit the dialogue between the two countries. Also, a representative from the Vatican could have been invited; Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and the Turkish President of Religious Affairs could have been invited. Such approaches would have minimized tension and disputes,” he said.

Mildanoğlu said Turkey took an important step by allowing the service to go ahead.

“We would have been in danger 20 years ago just by using the term ‘the Armenian Problem.’ However, we are discussing everything freely today. It was forbidden to even mention the existence of Armenians in Anatolia back then, but today Armenian historical artifacts are being renovated. We cannot ignore this,” he said.

A common opinion in Armenia and among the Armenian diaspora is that Turkey is making political maneuvers, simply renovating churches under its control to aid its ascension bid to the European Union. Another prominent opinion is that Turkey is renovating the artifacts to transform them into tourist destinations.

Mildanoğlu said he did not think the latter suggestion was necessarily a problem, however.

“Thousands of historical churches are open for tourism in Armenia; they earn income from tourism, too. It is only natural – it is the same everywhere in the world. It is not right to politicize everything so much,” he said.