Mr. Leon Petrosyan
St. Virgin Mary Church (Surb Astvatsain)
Entrance
Headstone
Bell Tower
St. Gevorg Church (Surb Gevorg). View from street.
Entrance
Main entrance
St. Tadeos Church
Turkish flag at the entrance
Armenian Patriarchy in Istanbul
Established in 1461.
Theological Seminary
is in front of Partiarchy residence.
Leon Petrosyan
This article was published in "Credo" (issue #11), an Armenian newspaper of St. Petersburg, Russia.
Courtesy Editor Mr. Armen Meruzhanian.
October, 2007
In Russian
October 2007 in Istanbul took place IFAC Symposium (International Federation of Automatic Control) on computational economics and financial and industrial systems. Organization of such symposium speaks about achievements of Turkish scientists in this field of applied math and process control. The Symposium was held in Dogush University in the eastern part of Istanbul. It started with awarding of Honorary PhD to American mathematician of Turkish descent Tamer Basharu, also well known in Russia in the field of optimal control. A work in the Symposium was pretty intensive and we were pleased that there were four participants from our faculty of applied math and process control of SPSU (St. Petersburg State University).
Among the information materials given to participants I discovered a tourist map of the central part of the city - "historic peninsula" - from North washed by Golden Bay, from East washed by Bosfor Strait, and from South by Marmar Sea. This part of the city is surrounded from West by high stone wall, built in the ancient times of Konstantin the Emperor. Many important historical monuments and memorials are here. It is a district of Palace of sultans Ahirkapi, Blue Mosque, Hagia Sohia and the tombs of Ottoman Empire sultans. On the same map were mentioned at least five churches entitled "Ermeni kilisesi" (Armenian Church).
I remember my last visit to Istanbul in 1973. When driving in excursion bus, I saw a building on my left, very like Armenian church. When I asked a guide, what is that building, I got an ignorable answer: please look at opposite side. Now our churches are mentioned as valuable historical sites on the tourist maps. I always wished to visit Armenian churches in Istanbul, but only nowadays it became much easier to do. My morning on October 12 was free, and together with Nikolay Anatolievich Zenkevich, my colleague and an associate professor of High School of Management of SPSU, we decided to devote our time to see the churches. We booked a taxi at historical train station, where famous Orient Express ends. We started preview at 10am. Akhmed, a taxi-driver didn't know any foreign language, so it was very hard to explain with the map what we are looking for. The most interesting churches are in the southern part of historical peninsula. Saint Gevorg (Surb Gevorg), Saint Tadeos (Surb Tadeos) and another one close to the residence of the Patriarch - Saint Virgin Mary (Surb Astvatsatsin). We rounded the peninsula from South, and entered through a break in the city wall to the Old city. A labyrinth of narrow streets was full with parked cars and pedestrians, so driving forward was very slow. Taxi-driver was not familiar with these places and frequently was stopping to ask someone how to get to "ermeni kilisesi". Finally we appeared on almost flat part of the street, on the right side there was a long well repaired two-floor building with high black metal gates in the center. A red Turkish flag with a crescent was waiving at the entrance on the high flagstaff. On the right side there was a writing on both Turkish and Armenian languages "Surb Gevorg". We entered in the church yard.. It was full of parishioners and children - students of Church’s Sunday school. I went in the church and made few shots with my camera. Suddenly a man came up to me saying that using camera is prohibited in this church. Other visitors were backing me. A wrangle began between two sides. Next moment a woman, church officer came out from the room (probably from a security room) and categorically demanded from me a special permission from Patriarch for making pictures. All it was in Armenian language and surprised Nikolay Anatolievich Zenkevich. In fact earlier together with Mr. Zenkevich we visited an Armenian church in Montreal, Canada and we were not only allowed to use cameras, but also were asked by priest to make a joint memorable picture.
This time even my explanations that I am university professor didn’t help. However I made significant amount of shots. The church was built in Italian style and was in a good condition. The whole territory of the church is big and everything looked well-groomed.
Together with driver Akhmed we drove further to East to St. Tadeos Church. We again had to ask directions from pedestrians. St. Tadeos Church and its buildings make a block and are very close to the bayshore of Marmar Sea. Like St. Astrvatsain Church this one is surrounded too by high stone wall, ending with long 2-store building from the main street side. But the condition of the buildings is better. Unfortunately high metal gates were walled up. Akhmed ringed a bell and for a long time was explaining that some Armenian came with him and wants to preview St. Tadeos Church. Door opened and we were allowed to enter. Door-keeper was a nice Armenian, 50, he immediately said that making photos is not allowed, but allowed just few photos with him and from outside. Seems this exception was against instruction, because door-opener run away not to be present at such illegal event. The Church was very beautiful and the yard, like it was in other churches as well, exhaled a warmness and comfort, which contrasted with chaos in overcrowded streets of Istanbul. A flag of Turkish Republic was waived on high flagstaff at the entrance.
We continued our trip. The next stop took place at the main target of our journey – at Armenian Patriarchy building. Paved by cobblestone street was shining with cleanness. Three-store building of Patriarchy, colored in light blue, was on the right hand. Patriarchy is located less than a kilometer from the district of palaces of Ottoman sultans Ahirkapi. An inscription in Armenian language “Armenian Patriarchy. 1461” is made near high walled up gates.
It means that this oldest Christian Patriarchy of Istanbul was established at the time of sultan Mehmed Second The Conqueror just 8 years after taking over Constantinople and a collapse of Byzantium Empire. A location of Patriarchy and the time of its creation points to a special positive and topping role, which Armenians played in Ottoman Empire. St. Astvatsatsin (St. Virgin Mary) Church with high three layer belfry is suited in front of Patriarchy building, behind a high stone fence. A new building of Theological Seminary is on the left side. Nearby is a high flagstaff with a flag of Turkish Republic and a police car stopping traffic. These last high metal gates were opened. Service man was a nice old man of 70, well speaking in Armenian. He showed us main sights with a great enthusiasm and allowed to make photos. The church has a style of Greek basilica with two lines of marble columns parallel suited and oriented towards altar. Altar exhaled a soft light and shined from gold finish. One should mention that all buildings on this street are in the perfect condition and everywhere cleanness and ideal order, this is unusual for Istanbul. Was too late, and said bye to service man, we sat into the car and soon came back to the university.
Later in the plane we read English and American newspapers and understood to ourselves the suspicious attitude to us in the St. Gevorg and St. Tadeos Churches, as well as a presence of police near Patriarchy building. Right these days mass anti-Armenian demonstrations took place in Istanbul, against passing in House of Representatives of Genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Empire Resolution.
We were flying back to St. Petersburg through Munich using Turkish Airline company. In the sit pockets we found October issue of thick company’s advertising magazine. I discovered an interesting article titled "Simply in a Silence" both in Turkish and in English. About city Ani, an ancient capital of Armenia, which ruins in nowadays are just at Turkish-Armenian border. I was stimulated to read the whole article by high quality photos of the Cathedral, Abugambrents Church, details of Survivor Church, of Smbat walls and of ruins of the mosque. Article had 9 pages, pretty large for a magazine, this allowed me to expect to see an interesting description of the history and details of historical monuments. However I could only learn a little from the article. About city Ani being just a main trade center on the Great Silk Way, and many nations of different religions lived there. About Gagik II, one of powerful kings of that time (without even mentioning his nationality, a reader could easily conclude that he was one of the Mongolian khans). About sultan Arp-Arslan, who conquered city in 1064, leaving some inscription on the walls (was not mentioned in which language an original writing was made). There was no one word about who built all the city buildings, churches, bridges, and fortress walls. An unprepared reader can imagine that all that was built by people and followers of Arp-Arslan or representatives of other ethnic groups which lived there from ancient times. Only in one unique place it was written that the Cathedral of Ani is a masterpiece of Armenian architecture.
Article states that due to explosions in the quarries on Armenian side many historical buildings of Ani began to untimely ruin. One has to ask the authors if the Khtskonk Monastery which is in 100 kilometers far from that place and fully destroyed to the fundament, is also a consequence of the explosions on Armenian side? If so than why all Turkish buildings, being built with less quality and much closer to the virtual quarries, have been survived?
Obviously, the interest to Armenian historical monuments and sites will raise in despite to artificial harboring in Turkish mass media, as well as in the free media of their allies. Thus it is so important for Armenian historians to become more and more active. To make unacceptable and disgusting the articles like "Simply in silence" for all readers, including passengers of "Turkish Airlines".