Turkey turning Armenian church into "cultural center"December 29, 2020 - 14:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey is turning Surp Yerrortutyun (Holy Trinity) Armenian Church in Konya's Akşehir district into "a cultural center", according to a report from Agos. A neo-classical building, the church is known as one of the largest Armenian churches in Turkey. It is registered as a historical monument and will be as the 'World Humor Masters Art House'. The total cost of the restoration of the building, which has been closed to worship and tourism until now, has amounted to approximately 3.5 million TL (a little less that half a million dollars). It is not yet clear when the official opening of the church in its new capacity will take place. According to information provided by Raymond Kévorkian in his book "Armenians in the Ottoman Empire on the Eve of 1915", 4,950 Armenians lived in Akşehir before 1915, the year the Armenian Genocide started. In addition to the Surp Yerrortutyun Church built in 1859, there were four other Armenian educational institutions in the district. Among them, the Surp Stepanos School was famous in all provinces for its superior education quality. Armenian craftsmen in the district were known for leather making, carpet weaving and hardware production. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. |