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09.11.2010

SAINT CROSS CHURCH ON AKHTAMAR AND THE ISSUES OF THE ARMENIAN IDENTITY

   

Ruben Melkonyan

Existing facts allow us to consider that various circumstances may serve as a stimulus for reclaiming Armenians living on the territory of Turkey and being on different stages of assimilation. In this aspect the Armenian-Turkish contacts observed in recent years, visits of Armenian tourists to Western Armenia, books on Armenian topics published in Turkey and other factors contribute to strengthening of significance of a true identity of the Islamized Armenians. Let us consider this interesting phenomenon in the context of the recent liturgy offered in the church of St. Cross on the island of Akhtamar at the lake of Van, which occupied considerable place on the Armenian public and political agenda, and some attendant and following events.

Even today it is obvious that Turkish propaganda machine tried to take advantage the fact that it was allowed to offer liturgy in St. Cross Church, but, on a large scale, it has broken down. Alongside with the negative show arranged by Turkey, rather remarkable process was initiated: the liturgy in St. Cross Church became an important incentive to expose a true identity of crypto-Armenians and their generations living in different districts of Western Armenia.

Here we find it necessary to explain: as it is known, during the Armenian Genocide and over the years to follow it in Turkey cultural genocide was perpetrated which victims were more than two thousand Armenian churches, monasteries and sacred places. Destruction of the churches and monasteries had a direct impact on the identity of the Islamized Armenians, because in case when in fact neither Armenian language nor culture existed there, even nonworking churches could be the keepers of their identity and silent witnesses of the former Armenian presence. That means that under such conditions church turns from an architectural structure into the component of the Armenian identity and in some cases into its only component.

In this aspect it should be mentioned that Islamized or crypto-Armenians till now organize pilgrimages to the ruins of the Armenian churches. One of such examples is the annual pilgrimage to the monastery of Most Holy Mother of God at Maruta mount in Sasun, which has been in fact “exposed” and become a center of the attention of Turkish media for recent couple of years. Besides there are many other examples about which we have learned during our personal meetings with the descendants of the converted Armenians who live in different parts of Western Armenia. E.g. on definite days a secret pilgrimage to the monastery of Msho Arakelots and ruins of churches in Dersim is arranged. Another example about which we learnt in 2008 in Mush may speak about the importance of the Armenian churches even though demolished for the generations of the Islamized and crypto-Armenians. Thus, in 1980 the state demolished one of the Armenian churches in Mush and built a school on its place. During the building the stones from the church were used, and as one of the residents of Mush, Armenian by his descent, told us, crypto-Armenians living in the city arranged for not sending their children to that school.

Going back to St. Cross Church on Akhtamar, it should be mentioned that the fuss made by the authorities around the church had rather opposite effect on the Islamized Armenians; in fact, Turkish state restored the Armenian church on its own, opened it, allowed offering liturgy, called Armenian tourists to visit Akhtamar and etc. It means that state attitude was formed in regard to St. Cross Church and this, is quite unique phenomenon too, because in the eastern districts of Turkey St. Cross is the only church which is recognized though indirectly by the Turkish state as the Armenian. This circumstance instills confidence in the generations of the Islamized Armenians who can now visit the ruined Armenians sacred places not secretly but can go pilgrimage to St. Cross Church which, however, does not have a status of a church but is considered a museum.

This phenomenon glared on the day of liturgy and that news was spread at once. To our joy this did not escape the attention of the Armenian journalists who were present in Van during the liturgy and they passed rather interesting details. E.g. the correspondent of news.am information site Andranik Ispiryan mentioned in his article: “Joy and tears of the crypto-Armenians who arrived to Akhtamar from Van, Mush, Sasun, Dersim, Hamshen and other districts of Turkey spoke about the patience and courage of those people. People who arrived from Mush by 20 cars and minibuses to participate in liturgy were putting candles, kissing the unplaced cross and crying. ... Seeing Armenians around many tried to tell, to express what they had been concealing for decades”, The remarkable story is also presented by the journalist of “Aravot” newspaper Gohar Hakobyan: the grandson of an Islamized Armenian, 38 years-old Sinan Demirbas told Armenian journalist that his grandfather Cafer who had died five years before that, had told to his family before the death that he had been Armenian and he had even shown his family photos which he had hidden for decades. According to Sinan there are thousands of Islamized Armenians and their generations in Van.

Some Islamized Armenians who were on the island after the liturgy, tried to find their relatives in Armenia; they told their old Armenian surnames, Armenian names of their parents, grandfathers and grandmothers and asked those who came from Armenia to help them.

On those days the theme of conversion (reconversion to the Christianity) of the Islamized Armenians was widely debated in media, and there was an attempt to connect it with the liturgy in St. Cross Church. The issue was presented on the example of the relatives of the locum tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul Archbishop Aram Ateshian. Thus, sister and brother-in-law of the Archbishop Aram Ateshian were obliged to convert to Islam in the 1950s. It has been mentioned in media for several times that the high-ranking priest has Muslim relatives and this was not denied by him either. And so, not long ago, information was spread that in May 2010 the relatives of Aram Ateshian living in Dyarbakir – 33 years-old Mesure Kaplan and 28 years-old Cihan Beskinsiz converted to Christianity. They also changed their national identity, wrote down as Armenians and took Armenian names: Mesure became Sirun, and Cihan – Paret. After reconverting to Christianity they told that their family had concealed its true identity for decades: at home and in the Armenian environment they were Armenians and outside or at work they behaved liked Muslims and even their inner circle did not know that they were not Kurds but Armenians.

Intra-communal marriages are also spread among the Armenians in Dyarbakir. E.g. husband of Mesure-Sirun, Kudbettin Kaplan is a crypto-Armenian who has also converted to Christianity. Those who have reclaimed their roots also mentioned that they were going to be baptized in St. Kirakos church in Dyarbakir which has been restored recently.

The locum tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul Aram Ateshian has also turned to the process of reconversion which emerged among the crypto-Armenians: “Many Armenians in Anatolia never dare to say that they are Armenians. The more democratic our country is the more people will reclaim their religion. Even today the youth from all over the Turkey – Tunceli, Trebizond, Kostamonu – turns to us in order to find out the roots of their families”.

It should also be mentioned that the liturgy which was offered in St. Cross Church on Akhtamar and the information about the reconversion of the Islamized Armenians led to the negative reaction of the chauvinist Turkish press and figures; they repeated their previous similar theses. The falsifier of history Yusuf Alacoglu also touched upon this topic, mentioning that there are at least 500 thousand crypto-Armenians.

Summing up, let us mention that all the aforementioned processes come to prove once more that the issues of the ethnic identity in Turkey are widening and being manifested in new ways.


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