Turkey’s only Armenian settlement, the 113-year-old Virgin Mary Armenian Church in Vakıfköy, Hatay’s Samandağ district, was closed for worship after it was damaged in the Hatay-based earthquakes.
The 113-year-old Church of the Virgin Mary, which survived the Maraş-based earthquakes without damage, was heavily damaged in the 6.4 and 5.8 earthquakes, the epicenter of which was Hatay.
The historical church, the symbol of Vakıfköy, became unusable after the earthquakes. Misak Hergel, a member of the Board of Directors of the Virgin Mary Armenian Church Foundation, stated that the consecutive earthquakes on February 20 caused a lot of damage to where they live.
Stating that the church suffered little damage in the earthquakes on February 6, Hergel said, “It was destroyed in the earthquakes on February 20. There are two active Armenian churches in Hatay. One is here and the other is in Iskenderun. Both of our churches have become unable to worship for a long time.”
