Azerbaijani Flag Emerges Next to Turkish Flag on Armenian Church Building in Turkey

In the Tepjebash neighborhood of Eskişehir province, northwestern Turkey (formerly known as the Armenian neighborhood of Hoşnudiye), an Azerbaijani flag has appeared next to the Turkish flag on the building of the historic Armenian Apostolic Church of the Holy Trinity, reports ermenihaber.am.

The Holy Trinity Church was built in the 19th century and has suffered the fate of many abandoned Armenian churches. Cultural genocide continued in Turkey after 1915, with many remaining churches and schools destroyed. Numerous churches have been converted into stables, warehouses, and sometimes even cinemas.

After being sold by Eskişehir foundations in 1945, the Armenian church building was turned into a modern cinema in the same year. From 1974 onwards, erotic films were screened in the historic church building for some time. It is notable that similar films have been shown not only in this church but also in several other Armenian churches that have been converted into cinemas.

On the first floor of the transformed building is a cultural center named after Zübeyde Hanım, the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. On the second floor, there is the office of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is the political wing of the extremist group