By Bosphorus News Türkiye Desk
The Karasun Manuk Armenian Church in İskenderun has entered restoration more than three years after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes damaged its altars, shifted parts of its foundation and left several adjoining properties in need of reconstruction.
Built in 1876, the church is also known as Surp Kırk Şehitler, or the Holy Forty Martyrs Church. It will close to religious services this week as repairs begin on the roof, floor, drainage system and damaged sections of the main structure.
The foundation responsible for the church puts the cost of restoring the full complex at approximately TL77 million. It says the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has allocated TL5 million, leaving the congregation to raise most of the required funding through Armenian community institutions and private donors.
Earthquake damage extends beyond church building
Foundation Chairman Yusuf Tabaş said the main building did not collapse, but movement in the structure and foundation made substantial repairs unavoidable. Some walls developed visible bulges, the three altars were damaged and the outbuilding was left in far worse condition.
Work will begin with the roof, floor and a long-standing drainage problem. The altars will be rebuilt, damaged walls and exterior surfaces repaired, and the outbuilding reconstructed.
The earthquakes also damaged eight shops owned by the foundation. Their rent pays for much of the church's upkeep, and restoring them is central to the financing plan. The foundation has no other significant regular income.
Only the church building previously held protected heritage status. After the earthquakes, the registered area was expanded to include the land containing the shops and guesthouse.
Tabaş said restoration permission was issued on November 27, 2025. Decisions taken by Hatay's regional heritage boards in early July completed the process required for construction to move forward.
A liturgy in March marked the ceremonial opening of the restoration period. Physical work followed once the remaining approvals and financial arrangements were in place.
Foundation faces TL72 million shortfall
The projected budget assigns TL45 million to the church, TL20 million to the eight shops and TL12 million to the outbuilding.
The TL5 million attributed to the ministry amounts to about 6.5% of the total. The ministry has not published a separate announcement naming the church and confirming the grant; the amount was disclosed by the foundation and reported by Turkish and Armenian media.
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced a broader support program for privately owned registered heritage buildings after the earthquakes. Under the framework described in 2023, mosques and churches could receive up to TL3 million for project preparation and TL25 million for construction, subject to an overall limit of 90% of eligible expenditure. These were maximum amounts, not automatic awards.
Karasun Manuk's accounts leave little room to cover the difference. Its properties generated TL804,000 in rental income during 2025, against TL743,000 in expenditure.
A campaign launched under the slogan "Support It Today, Be Proud Tomorrow" had collected approximately TL500,000 by early August. Several Armenian church foundations had also pledged assistance.
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak II Mashalian appealed for contributions from the community and diaspora during an August 2 service at the Surp Krikor Lusavoriç Church on Istanbul's Kınalıada. The İskenderun foundation hopes to repair and lease the shops first, using the restored rental income to support the remaining work.
Project followed Ankara meeting
Mashalian raised the condition of the church during a meeting with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in Ankara on December 15, 2025. The Patriarchate said they discussed the restoration and the foundation's application to the support program for earthquake-damaged places of worship.
In January, Mashalian announced that the project had been accepted into the program. The foundation later said it had been notified of the TL5 million allocation.
Recovery has proceeded at different speeds across Hatay's Armenian religious sites. The Surp Asdvadzadzin Church in Vakıflı, Türkiye's only remaining Armenian village, reopened in August 2024 after its earthquake damage was repaired.
The unfinished Armenian church in Batıayaz, another Samandağ neighborhood, still has no announced restoration program. Construction began in 1918 but was abandoned before the building was completed. Residents have continued to ask provincial authorities to preserve the stone structure and open it to cultural use.
Karasun Manuk will now close for worship as construction moves inside the church. Its foundation must still secure roughly TL72 million to complete the church, rebuild the outbuilding and return the damaged shops to use.
Sources: İskenderun Karasun Manuk Armenian Church Foundation, Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Agos, Bosphorus News review and reporting.