The book prepared for the late Harutyun Şanlı, the former chairman of the Gedikpaşa Surp Hovannes Church board of directors, was presented to his loved ones on 4 December 2021 at the Harutyun Amira Bezciyan Hall of the Virgin Mary Church in Kumkapı, at a ceremony organized by the Surp Hovhannes Church management.
The book “Harutyun H. Şanlı”, composed of letters written by his loved ones and penned by the author Serli Nişanyan, was introduced with an emotional program in memory of Şanlı, who fell ill during the pandemic and passed away on May 6, 2020.
In the ceremony presided over by the Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey, Sahak II, the wife and children of the late Harutyun Şanlı, Priest Hovagim Serovpyan, Spiritual Council Chairman Father Zaven Bıçakçıyan, Senior Father Dırtad Uzunyan, Father Şirvan Mürzyan, as well as community representatives and foundation managers , associates, close friends and loved ones were present.
The ceremony, hosted by Serda Arslan, started with the Lord’s prayer, which the participants said together.
The first speaker, Gedikpaşa Surp Hovannes Church Foundation President Murat Özçelik, in his speech, included Şanlı’s works for the church and the Armenian community, and offered his thanks and respect to all the volunteers who contributed to the book on behalf of the church board.
The author of the book, Serli Nişanyan, conveyed the responsibility she assumed with emotion-filled sentences, gave information about the formation process of the book, and thanked all the volunteer authors, all those who contributed to the printing and the creation of the book.
In the letter that the presenter Serda Arslan read on behalf of the Şanlı Family, there was the family’s feelings about the loss they experienced and their thanks to those who contributed to the book.
The artist Maral Ayvaz Çağlıçubukçu who took the stage afterwards and the artist Tatyana Bostan acccompanied by the organ of the conductor of the Samatya Choir Sevan Agoşyan, once again gave the guests emotional moments with their selection of the Armenian pieces that Harutyun Şanlı loved.
Father Zaven Bıçakçıyan, one of the former fathers of Gedikpaşa Church, the head of the Spiritual Council of the Patriarchate of Armenians of Turkey, and Şanlı’s close friend, Father Zaven Bıçakçıyan gave information about his meeting with Harutyun Şanlı, their deep friendship and their joint activities in social life.
After the presentations, there was a cocktail, where the guests who examined the book offered their condolences to the Family, chatted with His Beatitude the Patriarch and each other.
