Turkey ready to support reconstruction of Armenian church damaged by earthquake

The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism will provide support for the restoration of a 19th-century Armenian church that was damaged in the 2023 earthquake.

The Holy Forty Martyrs Armenian Church in İskenderun was badly damaged in the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the Turkish–Syrian border region in February 2023.

Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak II said during a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in Istanbul that he had discussed the restoration issue with Turkey’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, during a visit to Ankara in December 2025.

Sahak II added that the restoration project has been included in the ministry’s support program.