Genocide Memorial Church
The Memorial Church for the Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide ( Armenian Մեծ Եղեռնի Նահատակաց Յուշահամալիր , Arabic كنيسة شهداء الأرمن, DMG kanīsat šuhadāʾ al-arman ) in the Syrian city of Der Zor was a building complex dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide . It was blown up by Islamists in 2014 .
Construction of the memorial began in December 1989 and was completed in November 1990. It was consecrated on May 4, 1991 by His Holiness Karekin I , Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia . Serving as a church, museum, memorial, archive center and exhibition, the complex was under the direct administration of the Armenian prelature (diocese of Aleppo ). Until the destruction of the Memorial Church on 21 September 2014 by the terrorist organization Islamic State every year visited on April 24 , the genocide memorial day , tens of thousands of Armenian pilgrims from around the world the memorial.
background
On the initiative of the Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Aleppo, the foundation stone was laid on May 12, 1985 - on a piece of land that served as a final destination for death marches , a killing center , execution site and mass grave during the genocide of 1915–1917 in the Ottoman Empire . Later the Armenian community in Der Zor had a small chapel built for Saint Hripsime on the site. The new memorial complex was built to replace the old structure.
The Zor was chosen as the final destination for the displaced Armenian refugees from their country, who were forced by the Ottoman Turks on death marches into the Syrian desert . Those killing centers became known as Der Zor concentration camps , where between 150,000 and 400,000 Armenians are said to have been killed.
The genocide memorial was a large, free-standing sculpture with the bones of the genocide victims buried on the base. The complex consisted of a circular glass display with the skeletons of the genocide victims, on which a white marble tower was built, surrounded by kachkars (cross stones).
The complex
Wall of friendship
This structure was constructed in memory of the innocent martyrs . The main entrance led to a staircase leading to the backyard, which symbolized the “terrible disasters” to which the Armenian nation was exposed, “but without indulging in pain, it continues to live with pride and self-respect”. The facade of the main entrance, decorated inside with doves and crosses , symbolized the struggle for survival and self-sacrifice to achieve peace . On the right side of the courtyard was the wall of friendship , which was adorned with various arabesques and Armenian inscriptions - as a kind of symbolic expression to express the close ties between the two nations, Armenians and Turks. The two continuously flowing feathers on this wall related to inexhaustible life and devotion.
The monument
Opposite the main entrance was a monument commemorating the Armenian martyrs. Then one of was Armenia originating Kreuzenstein placed. An eternal flame burned in front of the monument . On either side one could see five examples of different Armenian genocide monuments that can be found in the world. On the left side of the monument there was a memorial wall with a series of cross stones adorned with Armenian decorations.
Church and museum
In the main building of the complex, the church with the museum on the left side of the inner courtyard, there was a hall with the Column of Resurrection in the middle . The bones of the martyrs recovered from the Syrian desert were grouped around its base. The column was dedicated to the struggle for survival and the rebirth of the Armenian nation . The hall, converted into a small museum, contained literature, publications and photo documents.
swell
- Official website of the Armenian Catholic Council of Cilicia
- Armenian prelature of Beroea (Aleppo, Syria)
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Armenian National Institute: Genocide Memorials. Retrieved November 4, 2013 .
- ^ The jihadists of the Islamic State destroy the memorial church of the Armenian Genocide in Deir el-Zor. Fides Service , accessed March 24, 2015 .
Coordinates: 35 ° 12 '6.8 " N , 40 ° 4' 58.8" E