GESSARIA, Turkey (Combined Sources)—The St. Gregory the Illuminator Church is scheduled to be reopened during special ceremony and Mass on November 8, community representative announced and the Turkish Radikal newspaper reported Tuesday.
Church renovations, which were funded through donations from local Turkish-Armenians, were recently completed and were a major undertaking entirely funded by the Armenian community.
Zadik Toker, head of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church Foundation, said the church’s roof was leaking before the renovation and that the last maintenance work for the building was done back in 1990. He said the paintings on the walls were also renovated.
Gov. Mevlut Bilici, Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mehmet Ozhaseki and Police Chief Arif Akkale have been invited to the opening.
In reporting the news of the opening, the Turkish Hurriyet daily, quoting sources from Radikal, attempted to show a connection between the current Armenia-Turkey rapprochement and the church opening.
In a letter to the editor, the chairman of the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate Religious Council, Archbishop Aram Ateshian, emphasized that plans to renovate the church were made long before the roadmap and protocol processes began.
Arch. Ateshian also emphasized that the Armenian community of Turkey has been in existence and has undertaken similar projects long before Armenia was even an independent republic.
would be nice to know the history of this ancient monument
Turkey would do everythig for propaganda and to show Europe and Us how”democratic” Turkey is
The Turks are smart.
All they have to do is go down to Home Depot, load up a donkey cart with some bricks and mortar, use them to “restore” an Armenian church, and they automatically get kudos from some clueless Armenians and the EU.
What, we’re all supposed to swoon because Turkey, for PR purposes only, had some cretin throw some bricks and cement at an Armenian church?
WOW, the barbarian are renovating…Let’s jump for joy! Wait a minute, Hold it Hold it, LOok, LOoK Maw, they even have a star on the dome!
http://www.virtualani.org/kayseri/index.htm
History of Kayseri (Geseria) Armenian Church