The historical Armenian Evangelical Church ( tr, Ermeni Protestan Kilisesi, hy, Հայաստանեայց Աւետարանական Եկեղեցի) is an

Armenian Evangelical The Armenian Evangelical Church ( hy, Հայաստանեայց Աւետարանական Եկեղեցի) was established on July 1, 1846, by thirty-seven men and three women in Constantinople. History In the 19th century there was an intellectua ...

church located in the centre of the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

town of

Elazığ Elazığ () is a city in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, and the administrative centre of Elazığ Province and Elazığ District. It is located in the uppermost Euphrates valley. The plain on which the city extends has an altitude of . El ...

(Mamuretül-Aziz), next to Kharpert. After being abandoned due to the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...

, it has been used as a public toilet. It was built in the 19th century and constituted the headquarters of this church for Elazığ. After the Armenian genocide, the church was used as the ''Arpaci'' Powder Industry Fabrique, then as a playground for children, and marketplace and shelter for animals. Despite its Armenian identity it was described as an "historical Assyrian church" by the Turkish authorities in 1973. In 2007, the Turkish state announced it will turn the church into a hospital, but as of 2014 no change has been made. Because of its location in the centre of Elazığ, it is used as parking lot for cars and as a public toilet. Interior frescoes of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

are heavily damaged but can still be seen. The entrance is damaged and there is no roof left.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Armenian Evangelical Church, Elazig Elazığ Armenian Evangelical churches Armenian churches in Turkey Protestantism in Turkey Armenian buildings in Turkey Destroyed churches in Turkey