The church awaits restoration

The church awaits restoration

Located in Buca Yeşildere and within the military, the Orthodox Church of the Prophet İlyas has been waiting to be restored for years. The church cannot be intervened by the municipality as it is within the military area.

On the way from Buca Şirinyer Kızılçullu Junction to Yeşildere, the Orthodox Church of the Prophet İlyas (Profitis İlias), which is in the military, has been left in ruins for years, causing a reaction from the citizens. While the criticisms made about the church and the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality were also covered on social media, the citizens demanded that the municipality meet with the necessary authorities and take action for the repair of the church. Ali Kökoğuz, Deputy Chairman of the AK Party Group of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, underlined that the municipality cannot interfere with the church in any way, since it is located within the military area. Kökoğuz said, “It is absolutely impossible for the municipality to repair a building within the military area. Therefore, the reaction shown is an unfair reaction. Citizens can only respond by writing a petition to the Aegean Army Command," he said. Known for his dominance over the region, a citizen named Veli Akmaz made the following statements regarding the change the church went through over time: “The old arsenal building inside the military; It was previously the Orthodox Church of Prophet Elijah. Since there was no Orthodox community in the region after 1922, the church was put out of use, and since it remained within the military borders, it has managed to survive until today.”

It is not clear who did

Adding to the structure of the church, Akmaz said, “As we can see from the pictures before 1922, there were two naves on the north and south façades, and their appearance at that time was twice the size of the present. It had an extension of about half the width of the church. Although we do not have a photograph of this church from the west for the period before 1922 (in general, photographs from those years were taken from the southeast), looking at the structure of other Orthodox churches and the ruins of this church, we can look at 3, 5 or 5 degrees from the light-colored part in the front to the west. We can easily say that there is a 7-arched narthex.” It is not known when and by whom the historical building was built, which was said to have remained completely within the military zone in the 80s and perhaps has been able to stand up to this day.

'Let's not let it go'

Claiming that the building, which was abandoned to its fate after years, was damaged as a result of the road and bridge works that took place in the region 5 years ago, Akmaz said, “Yes, since the church is located in a military area, it has managed to survive until today. But that doesn't mean it will always stay that way. Its walls and roof are in ruins. He stands alone among the bushes and trees. This is a cultural heritage. I see it every day as I drive through the ring road and feel a bitter sadness. Road and bridge work was done 5 years ago. If these things can happen or there is a sufficient budget, why is the church like this? They surrounded the military area with thick and long walls. Previously, it was possible to see the church, albeit a little. But now it's like an island. The municipality urgently needs to undertake restoration work. The stones and motifs in the interior still preserve their originality. Many values were lost in İzmir due to laziness. Let's not let the church disappear either. Bringing the church to the city will bring respect for differences," he said.

'You can't enter as you please'

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Ali Kökoğuz, on the other hand, stated the following in order to inform the public who reacted against the municipality and to find answers to the questions "Why is it not restored?": "The municipality cannot interfere with the church in any way, since it is located within the military area. It is absolutely impossible for the municipality to repair a building within the military area. Therefore, the reaction shown is an unfair reaction. Citizens can only find a response by writing a petition to the Aegean Army Command. If the Aegean Army Command wishes, it can allocate the subject area to the municipality and make the necessary renewal in cooperation. Izmir Metropolitan Municipality cannot go and make a request like "We want to restore the church". However, permission can only be obtained from the Aegean Army Command. Just as you cannot enter someone else's house or other property, you cannot enter the building located within the military zone as you wish. The citizen said, “We want the Orthodox Church of Prophet Elijah, which has historical value, to be brought back to life. It is not right for our city to stay in this state for years.”

Like the Aya Vukla church...

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoğlu, who stated that rumors spread that the Prophet İlyas Church in Yeşildere would be demolished within the scope of the Flying Road Project carried out by the Metropolitan Municipality, spoke as follows in an interview: It has been heard that the Prophet İlyas Church, which is in the military zone in Yeşildere, will be demolished due to the viaducts. However, information came that the building is registered and will not be demolished. They asked us to contribute to the restoration of this building. For this, the Greek Ministry of Culture must first request this from the Turkish Ministry of Culture, which is the addressee. After taking part in the military, together with the Izmir Governor's Office, we make projects from the restoration fund here. Just like Ayavukla Church, Harem-Selamlık, Emir Sultan Tomb, Beit Hillel Synagogue and many other works, it restores it as a value of our city; we will contribute to our city, our country and the humanity of the world.”

Kaynak: İlk Ses Gazetesi