The five Armenian churches located in the Tekor province of the Turkish state of Kars have been abandoned. Located at a 5 km distance from Tekor, the St. Sargis Armenian Church is the onlychurch that remains standing, but it is also on the verge of extinction, reports Akunq.net, according to the Turkish Milliyet Daily.
According to the source, if measures are not taken, the St. Sargis Armenian Church will become extinct, just like the other four churches. The walls of this church have collapsed, the stones have been destroyed and taken by the locals and some parts have been destroyed by treasure hunters.
The five churches in Tekor are the St. Karapet, St. Mary, St. Stepanos, St. Grigor and St. Sargis Churches. The monastic complex encompassing these five churches was abandoned following the Mongols’ raids in the 13th century.
The monastic complex was renovated and reopened when Kars province went under Russian dominance in 1878.
