Turkish authorities to restore two armenian churches
According to the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey has expressed readiness to support the restoration works of the Armenian Holy Forty Children Church.
The church was built in the 19th century and is located in the Iskenderun district of Turkey’s southern Hatay province. It sustained damage as a result of the earthquake that occurred in February 2023.
The issue of restoring the damaged church was raised by the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Mashalyan, during his visit to Ankara in December 2025, where he discussed it with the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism.
It is also worth mentioning that another Armenian church is being restored: the approximately 500-year-old Armenian Saint Sarkis Church in Diyarbakir, which was damaged due to the 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes.
There is almost no Armenian community in the area; therefore, such steps will provide Turkey with an opportunity to demonstrate its stance on preserving cultural diversity before the international community.