Orthodox Churches in Turkey Destroyed by Treasure Hunters, Turkey’s Indifference
Published: January 30, 2021
There are now more and more allegations –even by Turkish officials– of the destruction of ancient and Byzantine churches in Turkey either by illegal construction or by treasure hunters who dig in the hope of finding… gold pounds and other artifacts left after the persecution of the Greeks or the exchange of populations.
The General Director of Culture and Tourism of the Municipality of Aydin, Umut Tuncer, appealed to the Turkish courts for the construction of walls at the entrances of a 130-year-old Greek Orthodox Church. These walls, which block access to the church, were built to obtain a license to sell alcohol in a neighboring restaurant!
Following the investigation, the walls were demolished and Umut Tunzer was asked to transfer ownership of the church to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which he eventually did. At the same time, he appealed to the courts to punish the perpetrators.
For the Turkish official, “this is an issue that needs to be clarified. We intend to make the best possible use of the area. In case there is a request from the Orthodox of the area, we could use it as a church. Otherwise, it will become a museum.”
It is pointed out that the restaurants are required to be at least one hundred meters away from the places of worship. However, due to the construction of these walls, the distance measure would not have to be observed.
Church of St. John in Bursa: Target of treasure hunters
At the same time, the historic Church of St. John in Bursa became a target for treasure hunters. The church was initially in danger of collapsing due to lack of maintenance and then became a target for treasure hunters. The ruins of the church, which has a history of 900 years, were located by a drone.
The Church of St. John in Tirilye was restored from time to time, however, when the Greeks of the area left, it became a target for treasure hunters. The roof of the building has been permanently destroyed, while on the floor of the church the treasure hunters have dug very deep.
According to a local guide, “after the War of Independence, the Greeks were forced to leave the area. Turks from Thessaloniki and Crete settled in Tirilye. However, after a certain period of time, they wanted to search for treasures. We call on the authorities to monitor the matter. Everything resembles a battlefield. This is a sad situation. The church is very important, it was built in 1,100 for the approximately 5,000 Greeks living in Tirilye. We hope it will be renovated and given again for public use.”
Germiyan Church in Silivri
In the area of Silivri, there was another attack by treasure hunters. Treasure hunters dug holes in the hope of finding gold in a 185-year-old historic church that is about to collapse, known as Germiyan.
The church was built in 1836, was initially abandoned by the Greeks in 1913 due to wars and then was left to its fate permanently with the exchange of populations in 1923-24. It was later used as a mosque and as a school.
The neglected historic church over time was deserted and looted by treasure hunters.
Church in Bursa to go under hammer
Meanwhile, in an ad posted on the internet, a church in Bursa is being sold for 6,300,000 Turkish pounds (about 700 thousand euros). According to the ad, the privately owned church could operate as an art site, museum or hotel. The name of the church, as well as its location, were not made known as part of “protection of commercial and personal data.”
The church, it is noted, was built for the Armenian population of the area, which was abandoned with the exchange of populations in 1923, and was later used as a tobacco warehouse and textile factory. The church is located on a site included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Parliamentary question on the ad
On this subject, a parliamentary question was even asked by the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP, Tülay Hatimoğulları, to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Nuri Ersoy.
The MP’s question mentions that “those churches that do not have believers have been abanonded, have been turned into stables and warehouses and are being looted by treasure hunters. There are also several privately owned churches available through classifieds. However, churches cannot be private property and cannot be sold, just as synagogues and mosques, they must be open to the public.”
The Turkish MP also asked the relevant minister to find out how many titles of churches and monasteries belong to the ministry and whether there were plans to return them to the institutions of Greek, Armenian and Syrian-Chaldean churches, whose titles had been transferred to private or state treasury.
Restoration of Saint Georgios Church in Kayseri
But there is good news… The historic 721-year-old church of Saint Georgios in Kayseri, which was looted by treasure hunters, is expected to be restored by a decision of the municipality.
In a recent speech by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to EU ambassadors, he noted that “at a time when anti-Islamism and cultural racism are on the rise, we are restoring churches, monasteries and synagogues with our money.”
Unfortunately, the destruction of churches and shrines has become more massive and uncontrollable, compared to the restorations that are rarer, difficult and costly, no matter how much Turkey tries to invest in religious/Christian tourism for an extra income.
Tags: Date-2021-01-30, Christianity
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