605-Year-Old Armenian Monastery in Turkey is Abandoned and in Poor Condition

The Turkish news website 'NTV' has reported on the current condition of the monastery, stating that restoration work is expected to take place soon. Rahim Varol, the mayor of Akmash (Ardash) village, mentioned that the monastery of Armash is one of the oldest educational institutions in Turkey.

According to Varol, restoration works had begun in the monastery area, funded by one of the local businesspeople, but were halted for unknown reasons.

It is worth mentioning that the Armash Church of the Holy Mother of God was founded in 1416. Before the establishment of the Armash village, the area was inhabited by Greeks. In 1416, the Greeks burned and abandoned the settlement, which was then taken over by Armenians who had migrated from Marash and were seeking refuge.

The name of the location is a transformed reference to 'Marash.' Until the establishment of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1461, the Armash Monastery of the Holy Mother of God served as a monastic center for Eastern Thrace. In the 18th century, a library building was established within the monastery grounds, and in 1804, the monastery was destroyed by Chakir Hasan as vengeance for providing refuge to his enemy.

The monastery was reconstructed in 1820, and a printing house was established in 1864. Khoren Ashughyan, the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (1888–94), did not abandon his goal of turning Armash Monastery into the 'Venice of Turkish Armenians,' and in 1889, he founded a seminary within the historical complex.

The Armash Church of the Holy Mother of God also served as a center for manuscript production.

Source: ermenihaber