The inhabitants of Garipler village in the town of Sorgun of Yozgat are demanding the restoration of the historic Grrek church in theit village.
The churches have an important place in Yozgat where people from different religions lived together. Some of the churches collapsed due to years and natural conditions, some of them were restored and converted into mosques and others were used for different purposes.
While the churches in the city are in this state, the Greek Church in the Garipler village of Sorgun district of Yozgat faces the risk of collapse due to illicit excavations. In addition, because of the natural conditions, a part of the roof of the church collapsed.
The building has been used, not only as a church, but also as a monastery in the past. Until a recent periode it served as a mosque and school for the people of the village.
The inhabitants of the village of Garipler want the historical Greek Church to be restored and open to faith tourism. It is claimed to have been dated to the 1700s.
Sadullah Öztürk, one of the inhabitants of Garipler village, said that he wants the church to be restored. “We don’t know the exact date of the construction of this church. Many people came and damaged the building, by doing illicit excavations for treasure hunting. It has been abandoned to his fate. A part of the roof is destroyed because of the natural conditions. We want tourists to come here. We are saddened to see the situation of this church. 60 years ago, the prayer of the congregation was being held here. In our childhood, until recently our school was here. Previously it was being uused as a church in the time of the Greeks, and then it has been converted into a mosque” he said.
Stating that the church was destroyed as a result of illegal excavation Anıl Hasan Ceylan said: “Our church is ruined due to illegal excavations. The authorities wanted to work, but their work did not reach a conclusion. Our church has begun to fall down. We want the restoration to start as soon as possible. We want the church to be opened for the visit of pilgrims”.
