Chalki, Turkey, October 13, 2010
The sentence, according to Sabah, is on a five year suspension. It is also noted that the Metropolitan of Moschonissia will proceed to refute the article, since it creates a false impression regarding the construction of the church, as the church has existed since 1832. It is the Church of Transfiguration, which about three years ago was demolished by the Turkish authorities, when the Ecumenical Patriarchate proceeded to make repair works. However, the Forest authority of the Princes’ Islands, declaring the land on which the Church was built a “forest area,” on the 13th of November 2007, ordered the demolition of the building; the contractors hired by the Patriarchate, who had undertaken the restoration works of the Church, were prosecuted.
The governor of the Princes’ Islands, Mevlut Kurban,
however, considered that the Church was property of the
Patriarchate and denounced the previous decision which
characterized the land as a “forest
area”.
With regards to the restoration work, the Church
authorities in Chalki have already received authorization
by the Council of Monuments and Sites; authorization by
the Municipality, a standard procedure, is pending.
