YEREVAN. – Vardzk magazine’s each issue includes topics which were never before covered, stated Samvel Karapetyan, chairman of the foundation studying Armenian architecture, during a press conference on Thursday.    

In his words, an article in the magazine is devoted to the seventh-century Armenian Church of Mren, which is located in Turkey, very near the border with Armenia and in the vicinity of Akhuryan River. 

“The Church’s entire southern façade had collapsed ever since 2006. The Mren shrine cannot be visited because there is a military post [there], so no one may visit.    

In the meantime, holes were dug in the church, and it is apparent that either treasure hunters or some people have worked there for a long time. And it turns out that they have turned a blind eye to those who destroy the shrine.     

This shows that the destruction of the shrine of Mren is sponsored by the [Turkish] state. The government of Turkey advertises to the world with great fanfare that it restored the [Armenian] Akhtamar Monastery [on Lake Van], yet it destroys the Mren Monastery,” Samvel Karapetyan remarked.    

Photo by Sona Barseghyan