The Church of the Holy Mother of God in Aintab

The Armenian Church of the Holy Mother of God in Aintab was founded in 1892 to a design by Sargis Balyan, architect of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Today the city is under Turkish rule.

In 1915, out of about 36,000 Christian inhabitants of Aintab, up to 32,000 Armenians were deported to Syrian towns, including Hama, Homs and Deir ez-Zor. According to the historian Ümit Kurt, the church was sealed on 22 August 1915, and its contents were moved to a large stable and sold at auction. In 1920 (according to other sources, in 1930) the building was turned into a prison, and in 1984 into the Kurtuluş Mosque.

The postcard shows the domed church with its bell tower against the rooftops of the city. At the top is a French inscription: “Aïntab (Turkey) — Town, Church and Citadel”.