Western Armenia – The Armenian St. George Church in Turkey has been turned into a warehouse
The Armenian St. George Church has been turned into a warehouse in Turkey
JULY 13, 2020 – Gypsy nomad innovator the Turks and us the Armenians:
The Armenian St. George Church in the present-day central Turkish province of Chorum is in danger.
The church, built in the early 1800s by the famous Kiryop family of Chorum, is now used as a warehouse by a Turkish craftsman.
Some time ago, the property owners applied to the Chorum State Department of Culture and Tourism for funding to make changes to this historic building, but later refused. This was reported to the media by one of the officials of that department. The employee of the department insisted that there is no evidence that this structure is a church, only the local population proves that it is a church.
Most of the population of Chorum has no information about this historical structure, only a few adults testify to the existence of the Armenian Church.
It is mentioned that although in 1915 ․ Kiryop’s family was also under threat of genocide, however, some of their family managed to escape.
According to a Turkish source, after the founding of the Republic of Turkey, Kiryop’s family “sold” a huge amount of property “voluntarily” Shaml from Chorum to the family and moved to Istanbul and Ankara.
More than 3,000 hectares of land and a library belonged to an Armenian family in Chorum. They were engaged in the production of dairy products. The family known for their charities enjoyed great prestige in that region.
According to the source, Kiryop’s family built the first apartment building in Chorum, which is still standing.
The church, which claims that the Shaml family bought it during the genocide (probably nationalized as an abandoned property, sold to that family, or owned by the family as an abandoned property) is now considered the property of its heirs.
Source: gazeteduvar.com.tr
ermenihaber.am/en/news/2020/07/13/ Turkey-Church-Carpet / 187816
