Once turned into hayloft, Armenian church to be renovated in TurkeyMarch 12, 2014 - 11:18 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Once an Armenian church, a historical construction in the eastern province of Van had been converted into a hayloft after serving as a school for some time, Hurriyet Daily News reports. Nevertheless, the residents of Korlu village (30 kilometers from Van), who fill the facility with hay, grass, cowpat and wood, have personally appealed to authorities to renovate it. Considering the villagers’ request, Van Culture and Tourism Provincial Director Muzaffer Aktuğ said the renovation could be started soon. The historical church had served as a primary school for five years when there was no school in the area 30 years ago. Thirty-five students were taught at the school, before it was abandoned and converted into a hayloft by villagers. Villagers have attached a wooden door to the church, some parts of which are about to collapse, and tried to restore to prevent it from collapsing. Tourists had come to the village to look at the church, but it was mostly neglected. “For us, the church has a particular value because we graduated from here when we did not have a school. Now it is used as a hayloft. We want officials to restore the church and use it for tourism,” said villager Selim Gurban. Aktuğ said he would give instructions to the Van Museum Directorate to learn about the church’s situation and whether it was suitable for restoration. “Work will start according to the report after it is made by museum officials. We will discuss the report with the Van Monuments Directorate and we will renovate it if that is ultimately decided [by the directorate],” Aktuğ said. Related links: Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. EU still discussing funding Armenia through European Peace Facility Discussions continue in the EU on providing Armenia with funds from the European Peace Facility, Vassilis Maragos says. |