The Ownerless Cultural Heritage Of Historical Armenia

Varagavank in poor condition

The Varagavank monastery is located at the foot of Mount Erek 10 km from the city of Van in Western Armenia. This 11th-century monastery is now located in the vicinity of the village of Yukar-Bakrakhl.

The Varagavank monastery was built by the Armenian ruler of Vaspurakan and was named in honor of the area it was located in. Over time, the monastery expanded to include seven churches adjacent to each other.

The monastery was damaged in 2011 in an earthquake and has been left in a poor condition ever since because no restoration works have been carried out on it. The frescoes in the temple are disappearing from year to year.

The monastery is monitored by the son of a local imam, but it’s difficult for him to maintain the integrity of the building without state aid. In his opinion, the support of benefactors is necessary to preserve Varagavank.

Coins from the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia confiscated in Constantinople

The police of Constantinople seized 912 ancient and medieval coins from smugglers. Among the coins were Cilician coins, as well as coins of the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods.

The police have confiscated coins in the areas of Esenler, Fatih, and Sisli. Five people were detained as well.

Antique statue confiscated in Adana

Two individuals were arrested in Adana in a police raid. These individuals were attempting to sell an antique statue. Of high historical value, this statue portrays a woman’s face about 141 cm high decorated with grape bushes. The confiscated artifact was transferred to the Adana Museum.

Reconstruction works in the Armenian Church of St. Gevorg in Sebastia

Reconstruction works are ongoing in the Armenian Church of St. Gevorg in Sebastia, Western Armenia. This was reported by the Turkish news agency Ihla.

According to Ihla, this church, supposedly built in the 19th century, is currently located in the territory of the 5th Turkish military infantry brigade. The decision to renovate the church was approved in 2016.