Monuments of Armenian heritage to be reconstructed in Lebanon

June 28, 2014 - 15:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I announced the implementation of three projects as part of the preparation of the 100th Anniversary Commemorations of the Armenian Genocide. The architects of the Catholicosate are invited to complete the tasks, benefactors are also invited to contribute to the project, the website of the Armenian Church Catholicosate of Cilicia Antelias reported.

The first project is the renovation of the Statue symbolizing the post-genocide revival of the Armenian people in Bikfaya, Lebanon.

The bronze Statue was prepared to mark the 50th commemoration of the Genocide in 1965. The land surrounding the statue will be expanded, a huge map of the genocide will be carved on a new wall to be erected and a small chapel will be built next to the statue.

Genocide Museum at the Birds Nest Orphanage in Byblos will also be reconstructed. The oldest building on the campus of the orphanage, which has been classified as a historical monument, will become the site of the new museum. The museum will display documents, pictures, artifacts and other personal objects of the survivors of the Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

The institution already has the personal belongings of the orphans, who were brought to Lebanon by Danish Missionaries soon after the genocide. This project is financially supported by Mr. Aram Bezikian from Italy. Aram is the elder son of the Catholicosate’s benefactor Mr. & Mrs. Alecco and Annie Bezikian.

The third project is the Martyrs’ Chapel in Antelias, built in 1936 and later renovated in 1993 and 2007. It will undergo a total renovation in preparation for commemorative prayers in 2015. This project is financed by Mr. Zareh Bezikian from Italy. Zareh is the younger son of Mr. & Mrs. Alecco and Annie Bezikian.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.