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Turkey 300-year-old Armenian monastery stands in ruins

By

KAYSERİ – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photos

DHA Photos

The 300-year-old Armenian monastery of Surp Astvatsatsin (Tomarza Monastery) has completely deteriorated in the Tomarza district of Turkey’s central Anatolian Kayseri province, with merely a few ruined walls remaining.
The monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is situated in Kayseri’s Cumhuriyet neighborhood.
An important location for pilgrimage, the monastery also hosted famous British traveler and archaeologist Gertrude Bell in 1909.
Unfortunately, the monastery was looted and abandoned in 1915.

A group of Armenian priests tried to use the monastery after the end of World War I, despite the severe damage the building had endured. However, they later had to abandon the monastery to its fate.

In the monastery’s ruins lie the Gregorian Armenian School, which had previously hosted the annual Festival of the Assumption with the attendance of central Anatolian and Lycian Armenians.

Turkey: Tablet found in Armenian church ruins, date back to 2,000 years ago

By

BATMAN – Doğan News Agency

Tablet found in Armenian church ruinsA historical tablet with Armenian writings on it was discovered in the ruins of an Armenian church. DHA photo

In the ruins of the Surp Asvadavin Mother Mary Church, which is located on Mount Mereto in the eastern province of Batman’s Sason district, a historical tablet and some historical artifacts have been discovered. The tablet and pieces were delivered to the Batman Museum Directorate.

The ruins of the Armenian church, some part of which was damaged in 2012, were cleaned by the Istanbul-based Sason Armenians Association Chairman Aziz Dağcı with 10 people. They found the historic pieces during the cleaning.

He said they had removed the ruins for restoration under the surveillance of Batman Museum officials. “When we removed the ruins, we found a big tablet with Armenian writing on it. We also found historical horseshoes and some Armenian historical figures,” Dağcı said, adding they had delivered them to the Batman Museum.

The historical pieces will be examined in the Istanbul Armenian Patriarchate, he said. “Our goal is to restore this church, which collapsed two years ago. The church is located on the peak of the 2,973-meter-high Mount Mereto. We estimate that these remains date back to 2,000 years ago. We also applied to the Batman Governor’s Office for the construction of a different road to the church,” he said.

July/10/2014