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The Cathedral of Ani, Turkey from Church to Monument

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The Cathedral of Ani, Turkey from Church to Monument chapter 25 The Cathedral of Ani, Turkey From Church to Monument Heghnar Z. Watenpaugh* Located on a remote triangular plateau overlook- by a ‘historic partnership’ between the Ministry ing a ravine that separates Turkey and Armenia, and the World Monuments Fund, and partially the medieval ghost city of Ani was once a cul- financed by the us Department of State’s Amba- tural and commercial center on the Silk Road ssadors Fund.2 These high-profile government (Figures 25.1, 25.2). Now, it is the largest cultural initiatives occur at a time of unprecedented heritage site in Eastern Turkey. Ani boasts a diverse deliberation within Turkish civil society about the range of extraordinary ruins—ramparts, churches, country’s foundation and modern history. Indeed, mosques, palaces, and rock-carved dwellings, built an ongoing and contested debate has questioned over centuries by successive Christian and Muslim the tenets of official Turkish historiography, such dynasties. However, its most celebrated monu- as the idea of the monolithic nature of Turkish ments are Armenian churches from the tenth to identity; it has rediscovered the religious and eth- the thirteenth centuries. Ani is inextricably linked nic diversity of Turkish society; and has sought to to this Armenian Christian layer, a sense captured uncover and acknowledge repressed episodes of by its medieval name, ‘The City of 1001 Churches.’ the twentieth century, focusing in particular on Ani’s Cathedral is arguably the site’s most iconic the destruction of the Armenian communities of structure, the one most endowed with world archi- Anatolia through genocide. While the Ministry’s tectural importance (Figure 25.3). It was built restoration project and the civil society debate are between 989 and 1001 by Trdat, the most cele- not officially linked, their convergence in time cre- brated architect of medieval Armenia, who ates a particular context in which Ani emerges as a famously repaired the dome of the Hagia Sophia key site of the politics of preservation, as well as a in Constantinople. Commissioned by the Bagratid symbol of the politics of memory in Turkey today, dynasty, the cathedral was briefly transformed enhanced by its international prominence as an into a mosque, then returned to Armenian architectural masterpiece, and for Armenians Apostolic Church liturgy; in modern times, it has worldwide, as a sacred place and symbol of nation- become a historic monument and an object of hood and sovereignty. heritage. Until recently, Ani was better known as an The Cathedral, and Ani generally, are presently endangered heritage site rather than as a show- at the center of an ambitious preservation cam- case for preservation. Indeed, over the course of a paign spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture and century, natural and man-made ravages have Tourism of the Republic of Turkey,1 supported threatened the integrity of Ani’s monuments, * I thank Veronica Kalas, Christina Maranci, Yavuz Özkaya, 2 This cooperation was announced in 2009, and is currently and the anonymous reviewer for this volume. Translations being implemented. World Monuments Fund, “Turkish from Armenian, Turkish and French are my own. I thank Ministry of Culture and Tourism and World Monuments Patricia Blessing for her generous help with Russian- Fund Collaborate on Historic Conservation Project in language sources. Eastern Turkey,” May 3, 2011: http://www.wmf.org/sites/ 1 Henceforth referred to as ‘the Ministry.’ default/files/press_releases/Ani-press-release.pdf. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���5 | doi ��.����/�������������_��7 The Cathedral Of Ani, Turkey 461 Figure 25.1 General view of Ani from Armenia Source: Wikimedia Commons. through war, neglect, looting, and intentional West from the Soviet Union, the border between damage. The World Monuments Fund included the Republics of Armenia and Turkey has been Ani on its watchlist of monuments in danger in closed since 1993 and the countries do not have 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002.3 In 2010, the Global diplomatic relations. Heritage Fund designated Ani as one of twelve cul- It is precisely due to Ani’s significance in tural heritage sites in the developing world “on the Armenian culture that political and ideological verge” of vanishing.4 Preservation or even mainte- considerations are implicated in any preserva- nance has been an ongoing challenge at Ani due tion decisions. Indeed, the history of Armenian to its remoteness, the propensity for seismic activ- presence in Anatolia constitutes a deeply sensi- ity, and sheer size of the site, as well as its pres- tive and politically charged issue for Turkish state ence in the economically disadvantaged Province institutions. Any act of preservation or non- of Kars. In addition, Ani is located on a sensitive preservation at Ani is necessarily located at the international boundary. Previously separating the intersection of politics, history, memory, and bureaucracy. Numerous parties claim a stake in Ani. Within Turkey, in addition to the govern- 3 http://www.wmf.org/project/ani-cathedral. ment represented by the Ministry, stakeholders 4 Global Heritage Fund, “Saving Our Vanishing Heritage: Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites in the include the municipality of Kars, which has tried Developing World” (Palo Alto: Global Heritage Fund, 2010). to harness Ani’s tourism potential, perhaps chal- http://globalheritagefund.org/images/uploads/docs/ lenging Ankara’s central control, as well as the resi- ghfvanishingGlobalHeritageSitesinPeril102010.pdf. dents of Ocakli village who live next to the ruins, .
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