HDP MP Garo Paylan visits Armenian Apostolic Surp Giragos Church under restoration

OMID (DIYARBAKIR), Turkey – Deputy Speaker of the Peoples’ Democratic Party Garo Paylan today visited the Surp Giragos Armenian church in Omid, reports Syriac newspaper Gazete Sabro. At the moment, restoration work is being carried out on the church dating from 1371.

MP Paylan attended Surp Giragos Armenian Church along with party members. He himself is an Armenian and MP for Omid. He is the responsible person for Economics within his party. Paylan and his colleagues were given information about restoration work from workers involved in the restoration of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Paylan announced that he will attend Surp Zadig (Easter), which will be celebrated on April 17, at the church.

Diyarbakır Surp Giragos Ermeni Kilisemizdeki restorasyon çalışmalarını inceledim. pic.twitter.com/6K2mf2G4O5

— Garo Paylan – Կարօ Փայլան (@GaroPaylan) February 11, 2022

The Surp Giragos Armenian Church is located within the walled city, or the Sur district, of Omid. In 2016, the Turkish government confiscated the Surp Giragos Church, together with neighboring Syriac Chaldean and Protestant churches after heavy clashes broke out between sympathizers of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Turkish authorities.

The Syriac Chaldean Church in Omid is the Saint Mary’s Cathedral. No Syriac bishop has resided in the city since the Sayfo Genocide of 1915.

The Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary church in Omid is one of the oldest oldest in the world built on an originally pagan temple. In 2000-2001, Yusuf Akbulut, the former priest of the Virgin Mary Church, was charged by Turkish authorities with inciting hatred after he had commented to a Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reporter that it was not only the Armenians who were massacred in 1915 but also the Syriac people.