The Armenian Church of Sebastiya to be Transformed into a Museum After Renovation

The renovation of the Armenian Holy Mother of God Church located in the village of Gürün, Sivas Province, Turkey (historically known as Sebastiya, in the region of Kyurin) is currently underway. This information was reported by ermenihaber.am.

After the renovation by the Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of Turkey, the church will be handed over to the Gürün municipality and will become a city museum. The mayor, Nami Çiftçi, informed that a significant portion of the renovation works has already been completed, and it is planned to hold the city’s main cultural events there after the completion of the works.

The state has allocated 3,984,000 Turkish lira (approximately $700,000) for the renovation. It is noteworthy that the village of Kyurin had a total population of 3,000 houses at the beginning of the 20th century, of which 1,550 were Armenians. The Armenians here engaged in trade, agriculture, and crafts. The settlement had one stone Armenian church and one school. In 1915, the Armenian population of Kyurin was subjected to genocide, leading to their dislocation and extermination.