Armenian church in Malatya needs renovation, residents say
Güncelleme Tarihi:
MALATYA -The 18th century Toshoron Armenian church in the Çavuşoğlu neighborhood of Malatya is in ruins, in need of care and renovation. Çavuşoğlu is the birthplace of Hrant Dink, the former editor of daily Agos, who was assassinated in 2007.
Mustafa Şahin, headman of Çavuşoğlu, spoke to the Anatolia news agency and said the church is in need of repairs and that people in the neighborhood are being disturbed by the homeless who have taken residence inside.
“It would be nice if the church is renovated. We do not have any Armenians left living in our neighborhood,” he said. “The community dissolved; they migrated to big cities. However, there are a few Armenian families living in Salköprü, the neighborhood next to us. If the church was restored, it would be nice for them, too.”
Officials from the provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism said they wrote a note to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism about renovating the church. Although it is on the program for 2009, the lack of funding prevents the work from starting.