Construction of a Public Toilet Next to the Armenian Church in Ardvin

Journalist and writer Orhan Yavuz alerts that the Armenian church in Ardvin is being desecrated. This was reported by ermenihaber.am.

“On May 12, 2019, a friend called me and informed me that construction for a public toilet was being prepared next to the 9th-century church building in the central village of Hamamlı (Dolisxan) in Ardvin.

He asked us to investigate whether the news was true. He also sent the photos he received, which show that 20-30 bags of cement and two toilet bowls have been brought into the church for construction purposes, and that the floor to the left of the church's entrance has been dismantled, along with two pipes brought for sewage,” Yavuz recounts.

According to him, he initially did not believe that the initiative to construct a toilet on the church premises was real. He thought the rumors were exaggerated and assumed that the construction materials found in the church were intended for use elsewhere. In order to obtain accurate information, Yavuz called his friends in Ardvin and asked them to verify the news, suspecting that it could be a provocation aimed at inciting inter-religious strife.

“Unfortunately, studies conducted in the area disproved all my optimistic assumptions. According to the information received, the village mayor of Hamamlı has decided to build a toilet next to the church; as seen in the photos, bricks have been laid on the entrance's left side for that purpose. The mayor refused to meet with the director of the provincial tourism and culture department and the gendarmerie who came to the village,” the author writes.

The mentioned church has been recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a cultural heritage site that requires special protection. Yavuz has called for strong condemnation of such a vile and disrespectful initiative to build near a church that is around 1100 years old.