In the western Turkish province of Kütahya, the Armenian Church of Saint Toros has been destroyed. This was noted in a post by human rights defender Arlet Natalie Avazyan, who is known for her sharp criticism directed at the Turkish authorities.
“Do you have no respect whatsoever for history? By destroying the history of Armenians, do you intend to continue ignoring the existence of Armenians on these lands?” wrote the human rights defender, and recalled the history of the Church of Saint Toros, referring to the book of Armenian intellectual Arshak Alboyajian, in which the author recounts his visit to the church grounds.
The Church of Saint Toros was built during the reign of Sultan Murad of the Ottoman Empire. Although the church was destroyed during the Jelali revolts in 1603, it was subsequently rebuilt. In Alboyajian’s book, it is noted that people believe the imprint of Saint Toros’s horse’s horseshoe is to be found on the rock upon which the church was built. According to tradition, Turkish women would come to be healed of illnesses, sit near the church, and ask the clergy to read the holy scriptures.
The church once also served as a hall for events, and was then completely closed. Recounting his visit to the church, Alboyajian wrote: “Now, on the outer door of the Church of Saint Toros, this sign is posted: ‘Approaching the building is dangerous and prohibited.’ Approaching people, I ask whether it is possible to get in touch with the owner of the events hall. This is an old church; we want to pray. But someone named Süleyman answered that he had handed the keys over to the owner. We spoke with the latter by phone, and he said he would not allow us to enter.”
