Fresno man’s birthday wish: That historic Armenian churches are preserved for all time
It’s hard to believe, but this year, I turn 40. People are right when they say the older you get the faster time flies. This is especially true when you have kids. The past 10 years have been an incredible and beautiful blur.
So what do I want for my birthday? My wish is that the world and those interested in preserving history will step up and encourage the Turkish and Azerbaijani governments to preserve and tell the truth about the origins of the historic Armenian churches and cemeteries within their borders.
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity and with that has endured a brutal past. Massacre after massacre was finally topped off by the Genocide in 1915. Armenia is now a sliver of what it once was, but its place in history should not be overlooked. Recently one of the first human shoes and wineries were found in Armenia.
When the cathedral of Notre Dame accidentally caught fire, it seemed like the whole world stopped to pay attention. It was all over the media and rightfully so. Notre Dame is an important piece of world history. Counter that to when the 19th century Ghazanchetsots Cathedral was hit by a missile from the Azerbaijani military; very few noticed and condemned it. To make matters worse, centuries-old Armenian churches are being misidentified as “Albanian” by the government of Azerbaijan, and Armenian cemeteries are being destroyed. Again, few are noticing and when they do, nothing happens.
A once beautiful 18th century Armenian church in Kayseri, Turkey, the birthplace of my mom’s maternal grandparents, continues to be damaged with no sign of protection from the Turkish government. During the Armenian Genocide the population from Kayseri was evacuated and their items were confiscated. Recently scavengers caused damage to the church by digging and looking for gold. When ethnic Armenian Turkish lawmaker Garo Paylan raised the issue, the Turkish government ignored him. In fact, he’s received numerous death threats over the years.
In Eskisehir, Turkey, a town of once wealthy Armenian traders and railroad workers, which was the birthplace of my mom’s paternal grandparents, a beautiful church was also confiscated after the Genocide. The church had its facade changed to conceal the truth about its history. At one period of time it was converted into a place where X-rated films were shown. BBC Persian did an excellent documentary and included Eskisehir and this church. Today, the church is a Turkish cultural center. At least it is being preserved and I am thankful for that.
Sure, the churches I just mentioned aren’t as known or as old as Notre Dame, but there are hundreds if not thousands of others in dire need of active preservation that are older. What about the churches in Ani, once the center of the world for goods traders and known as the “City of 1001 Churches”? Ani is located on the “silk road” and is in present day Turkey on the border of Armenia. Today, the ruins are a tourist attraction but in the past few years, some of the churches have deteriorated even further. The Cathedral of Ani is older than Norte Dame and has been a major part of that region’s history.
Perhaps we should take the lead of a Hindu worshipper doing what he calls his “sacred duty” in Bangladesh, where a 17th century Armenian church is being taken care of by a man whose family lives on site. Armenians had been successful traders in Bangladesh starting in the 16th century. The story goes that the man worked at a jute factory and became the assistant to the custodian of the church. When the custodian moved, the man was given the keys. Today, although no Armenians remain or all have assimilated, the church is a part of Bangladesh’s history and it’s not being concealed or destroyed. Bravo to Bangladesh and this wonderful man.
Some people get excited at milestone birthdays. Not me. No matter how old we as humans get in this life, there will always be an older building, church or religious site that needs protecting. What will excite me is if we preserve these sites so that we can get an accurate account of history and give credit where it is due. Until that happens, no thanks on the gifts.