Keurkune's Historic Church: The Sanctuary - 1

 Vahe H. Apelian

Figure 1: Armenian Evangelical Church of Keurkune
Courtesy George Azad Apelian 

The Armenian Evangelical Church of Keurkune is one of the oldest Armenian Evangelical Churches, outside Turkey, that is in use to this day. It was built in 1898/1899  and thus bridges three centuries. There is a plague on the upper section of the front wall (Figure 2), that bears the following inscription in Armenian character reading Turkish that reads – “My house shall be called a house of prayer” Math: 21:13; Keurkune’’; Armenian Evangelical Church; January 8.98 foundation; July 21.99 completion.” 

Figure 2: Front Wall Inscription in Armenian Characters Reading Turkish
Courtesy George Azad Apelian

The church is situated on an elevation at the southeastern corner of the village. An arched entrance leads to the courtyard. The sanctuary is right across the arched entrance. The pastoral dwelling is situated on the right-hand side. The bell tower is positioned at the back right hand side corner of the church. The sanctuary was built by master mason Hovsep Terterian, from the neighboring village of Chakaljuk. He was the grandfather of the late Archbishop Ardavast Terterian. 

The construction is typical of the era. It consists of two layered walls erected by depositing carved stones resulting in thick walls and in deep windows. The pastoral complex was built in 1903 during Rev. Kevork Kassarjian’s tenure. The sanctuary has two entrances. Up to the time I attended the church, the men used the door on the left-hand side, and the women used the door on the right-hand side, irrespective of their marital status. There are three olive trees in the church courtyard. They seem to have always been there and are regarded as part and parcel of the church. On one of these trees had a resonating piece of a metal that was hung alerting the children of the village the start of  Sunday school services. The ringing of the bell was reserved for the grown up alerting them of the church service.

Yervant Kassouny, the former editor of the Armenian Evangelical Monthly Chanasser, edited Dr. Albert Apelian’s graduation thesis about Kessab into a well-documented and foot noted book. Albert was a 20-year-old student at Aintab College when he wrote his study as a requirement for his graduation. Dr. Albert Apelian is Dr. Soghomon Apelian’s son who is the first Kessbtsi to graduate as a  Medical Doctor from the American University of Beirut.

Dr. Yervatn Kassouni quoting Rev. Mardiros Marganian noted that the construction of the church of Keurkune’ commenced without securing a permit. When the authorities planned to halt the construction, the villagers participated and completed the covering of the roof almost overnight and thus secured the viability of the sanctuary. Ottoman regulations forbade the destruction of an erected building with a roof on it. Subsequently, the Sultan’s High Porte issued the permit for the church. This important historical document, however, has been lost.

The logs that covered the roof of the church were made of trees from a forest some 8 miles from Keurkune’ renowned  to this day for its tall and erect pine trees. Soghomon Kerbabian,  the late Rev. Ardashes Kerbabian’s father, accompanied the cavalcade and played the flute all the way to inspire the able-bodied young men and distract them from their heavy loads as they carried the logs on their shoulders. 

The long-trimmed logs extended across the two opposing walls of the church. On these logs wood was fastened and on which the villagers spread keuruk  giving the church roof top the same bluish color that colored the roof tops of all the houses in the village. The bluish, light weight, easily crushable stones ideal to cover the roof tops. Each roof top had a stone roller that was used to pack the stones, which was replenished frequently from local veins.  As to Soghomon Kerbabian, he is the only person seen  playing the flute while the rest of his contemporaries posed with their rifles and belts laden with bullets (Figure 3).

The church has undergone major renovations. The logs that covered the ceiling of the church have now long gone into oblivion and a cement ceiling covers the roof. The old pews have been replaced with newer ones. The front wall is now covered with yellow stone bearing the following inscription “Renovated in memory of Khatchig Apelian”, who was tragically killed during boar hunting in December 1988. 

Anectodes about the church

Rev. Hovhannes Iskijian, whose late grandson found the Iskijian Museum in Ararat Home in California, was the first pastor to be ordained in Keurkune’’ and Ekiz Olouk. His ordination became an issue of contention between villagers. They could not agree whether his ordination would take place at the church In Keurkune’’ or at the church in Ekiz Olouk. They came to a workable compromise and agreed to have the pastor’s ordination done in open air, mid way between the two villages, under a tree, which came to be known as Badveli’s (the pastor’s) tree. The tree was still erect when I spent my summers there in my youth.

Reverends Mardiros Marganian, Hanna Sarmazian, Hagop Sarkissian were also ordained in Keurkune’. Rev. Ardashes Kerbabian is the only native son of Keurkune’ to serve as a pastor of the church. Rev. Hanna (Hovhannes) Sarmazian, a Kessabtsi, is the church’s longest serving pastor. He served the church from 1959 to 1981. 

On June 12, 2015, Rev. Haroutune Selimian officiated the dedication of the renovated church and its sacking and torching and had Rev Jirayr Ghazarian instilled as the pastor of the church.

The sanctuary also has a Roman period like carved headstone. No one knows where it was found and who placed it in the sanctuary. It has remained next to one of the entrances, as a silent witness of the church. (Figure 4)

Figure 4: Roman Period Like Head Stone

Keurkune’s church is the spiritual center of the village and plays a vital role in the lives of the inhabitants of the village and safeguards the kinship among its one-time inhabitants and their descendants spread across the globe.

The picture of the church posted above (Figure 1) was taken by the late George Azad Apelian. It depicts the church before the March 21, 2014, occupation of Kessab by terrorists who infiltrated from Turkey; and during their occupation of Kessab, that lasted almost 88 days until June 15/16, 2014, they  desecrated graves, sacked, plundered, destroyed, torched houses, business, churches, including Keurkune’s church.

Courtesy Sevan Apelian
The  Renovated Armenian Evangelical Church of Keurkune After its Sacking and Torching by extremists.
(Note the difference between the crosses in comparison to Figure 1.)