| Pirkinik, Perkinik, Perkenik, Perknig, Perknik |
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| Pirkinik, Perkinik, Perkenik, Perknig, Perknik, etc.,
An Armenian Catholic Village Near Sivas, In Central Anatolia, Turkey
One of the major problems of transliterating a name into another alphabet and languages is the varieties of spelling that can ensue. The village in question is now called "Pirkinik" in modern Turkey. I have found a variety of spellings including: Perknig, Perknik, Pirkinik, Pirkinek, Pirkenik, Perkenek, Perkenik, Perkinik, Prknik, Prknig, Brgnik, Berkinik. On postcards written by the Tchiboukkearians (the family name of the poet, Daniel, Varoujan) and included in The Tchiboukkearians of Perknig , the spelling was "Perknig". The spelling given to me by members of the Azarian/Hagopian family when I first started the research around 2000 was Prkng. From the early 1700s until 1915 Pirkinik was an Armenian Catholic village. Most Armenians were Armenian Apostolic (sometimes referred to as the Georgian Church). However the village of Perkinik prided itself in being 100% Roman Catholic. This means that they accepted the full authority of the Pope in Rome. The Armenian Catholic Church was officially recognized by Pope Benedict XIV in 1742. My husband's grandmother, Lucy Arevian/Hagopian Azarian, and her siblings, Batist, Hovsep, Nazareth, and Avidis Arevian/Hogopian were born Pirkinik. Lucy was born there circa 1875. The family moved to Constantinople before 1895. In the early 1920s Lucy moved with her husband and children to New Jersey. In May 2008 my husband, Tom, and I visited Turkey for a week. We spent two days in the Sivas area. One morning our guides and translator, Kagan, Yervant and Metin, drove us to the village of Pirkinik. Robert Hewson in Armenia, A Historicl Atlas and others say that Pirkinik is an hour outside of Sivas. That may have been true in the days before automobiles when one had to travel by foot or ox cart. By car, the trip from the center of Sivas to Pirkinik took less than ten minutes. We drove the length of the village on its south side. On the north side of the street were older buildings and on the south were several modern high rise apartments and a modern school. At the end of the village we got out and explored a bit on foot. We did not venture too far from the main road. Many of the buildings were in very poor shape patched and jerry rigged with wood, cinder blocks and corrugated tin and leaning at all sorts of precarious angles. We could see three types of basic construction in the older buildings: cut stone, uncut stone, and timber framing (with rubble filling & stucco finish). Most of the buildings orignially probably had red tile roofs although many now had corrugated tin roofs. Many of the buildings had balconies (or the remains of balconies). We could not see any modern buildings in the cluster of older buildings except on the periphery of the village.
The people of the village may have made rugs in addition to farming. John Minassian in Many Hills Yet To Climb states that Oriental carpets were woven by young Armenain girls in the hundreds of Armenian villages that surounded Sivas. |
| Pirkinik, May 2008 |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck This is the largest and most imposing build we saw being one of two buildings of cut stone. Its shape and the domed roofs suggests that it was once the public bath.* The ground level must have been lower at one time as the doorways are impossibly low for an adult to enter. The interior appears to be completely filled with rubble and dirt. We could not find any inscription. The light green object in front of the building is a fountain. * See the bath in Sivas at Sivas See also History of Pirkinik Chapter 4
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck Another view of the same building. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck This building was one of the two buildings of cut stone that we saw (the other being the bath). It is clearly an old Armenian building as evidenced by the inscription in Armenian on the key stone. See image below. The height of the arch suggests that the building was once much taller. See also History of Pirkinik Chapter 4
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck Another view of the same building. I believe that this is just a fragment of the original building. The stone work around the arch ends rather abruptly at the top. It is highly likely that the original building was much taller. Since most of the buildings in the village were of uncut stone or timber framing it is highly likely that this was a building of some importance. With the wide arched doorway it is tempting to think it was part of one of the two known churches. This type of doorway was common on Armenian churches. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck The inscription on the key stone is in Armenian. We could not make out what is written, except the year 1909 which is barley visible on the lower right. See also History of Pirkinik Chapter 4
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck This is typical of the state of the village today. The uncut stone walls are most likely old; as are the red tile roofs. The cinder blocks and corrugated tin can be presumed to post date 1915. The house on the extreme right is whitewashed. It is likely that at least some of the Armenian houses in Pirkinik were stone covered with stucco that was whitewashed or painted in some way. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck This building looks to be of timber framing. Notice the remnant of a balcony. The gate is a ghost of the typical entryway into pre 1915 properties. See the houses in Sivas at Sivas
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck The house on the left shows the uncut stone construction and the one on the right shows a balcony. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck Our guides told us that this old mill wheel was turned by oxen. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck This image gives some idea of the terrain around Pirkinik. The house in the distance is of modern construction. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck Based on window size, the balcony and the type of construction, I believe that this building dates from the days when Pirkinik was an Armenian village. The cemetery in the background on the left is Moslem. This building is one of the first of the old buildings as one approaches Pirkinik from Sivas. |
| Families From Pirkinik |
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| Images Of Village Life |
| These scenes of village life are carved out of wood. They were hanging on the walls of a kebob shop in Sivas. The manager gave me permission to photograph them. |
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck
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Photo Maggie Land Blanck
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More Images Of
Village Life
The backs of these two post cards say the same thing:
"VILLAGE LIFE IN ARMENIANotes:
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Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck
Sowing Corn |
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Postcard collection of Maggie Land Blanck
Threshing Corn |
| Pirkinik — Google Earth |
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Google Earch Pirkinik as seen on Google Earth 1. is the location of the bath pictured above. 2. is the location of the building, with the Armenian writing on it, pictured above.
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Pirkinik in print
If you can read French please excuse my transcriptions and translations. My French is
sketchy at best. I have first transcribed the French from the book in question.
Some of the type quality of the books and articles is poor. In addition, I
do not have a French version of spell check. Consequently there are liable to be typos.
Then I have translated into English.
I have used the assistance of Google translation (which, I have to say, is one of
the most helpful things on the Internet.) 1821 Voyages en Orient, de l'annee 1821 a l'annee 1829 Constantinople, Grece By Victor Fontanier
"Sivas est peuple de quarante mille habitans, en comptant huit mille maisons portees sur les registes; sur ce nombre, il y a environ trois mille. Ameniens.1842 Dizionario di erudizione storico-ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, 1842 "In Pirkinik evvi usa chiesa pubblica cattolica, e compresa anche Sivas, vi sono circa settanta od ottanta famiglie assistite da tre, o quattro sacerdoti del patriarca di Cilicia." 1845 The Missionary Herald, Volume 41, 1845, By American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
Armenian Catholics "fifteen at Sivas, three hundred and fifty at Pirkinik, — a village near Sivas,"......
1884 Les Missions Catholiques, Volume 16 By Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Catholic Church. Pontificium Opus a S. Petro, 1884
"Je fus retenu a Sivas au-dela de mes previsions, parce qu'on avait prepare une grand'messe de Dumont et un examen public. Comment se refuse a preside une telle solennite? Je profitai de cette prolongation de sejour pour visiter le village de Perkenik. C'est une oasis exclusivement catholique, chose rare et Presque unique dans ces contrees schismatiques. La population est rude, mais ferme dans sa foi. Plusieurs pretres et eveques, le patriarche lui-meme sortent de Perkenik. Les homes sont muletiers et sillonnent l'Asie Mineure dans tous les sens. Leur eglise es grande et tien tenue. Un pretre y dirige l'ecole avec success. Il a bonte de m'accueillir de la maniere la plus cordiale. C'est ici que l'on peut juger du resultat que nois obtiendrions pour la glorie de Dieu, si nous parvenions a former des groupes catholiques puissant.1888 — The Conversion of Perkinik to Catholicism — Early 1700s No exact date is given for the episode described. However, the precious paragraph refers to 1711 and 1713. Coup d'oeil sur l'Armenie: a propos d'une mission de la Compagnie de Jesus By Damas (Andre, le r.p. de, 1888 "Un autre Jesuite, le P. Gregoire, polonais, expulse d'Erivan, s'etait au village de Perkenik, pres de Sivas. Les familles catholiques y etaient peu nombreuses. Le Pere s'ingenia de son mieux. Il associa a son apostolat un armenien catholique appartenant aux Freres-unis. Ce jeune homme ouvrit une ecole, espousa la fille du cure schismatique, convertit son beau-pere, et l'amena a faire son abjuration etre les mains du Jesuite polonais. La conversion du pasteur entraina celle du troupeau. Aujourd'hui, le village n'abrite pas un seul armenien schismatique. Il est ferme dans la loi catholique, c'est un de nos centres importants."1898 — Les Missions catholiques, Volume 30 By Society for the Propagation of the Faith, Catholic Church. Pontificium Opus a S. Petro Apostolo
A Pirkinik, l'eglise est in ruine; la terrasse menace de s'effondrer. L'interieur de l'edifice sacre est dans un etat amentable; l'humidite a deja deteriore tous les tableaux. Ce village, compose de 400 familles, toutes catholigues, n'a pas encore pour les garcons une ecole tant soit peu convenable. Les pauvres enfants sont obligue de se reunir dans une chamber etroite, obscure, sans pave, malsaine; c'est pourquoi la frequentation d'un tel local devient odieuse aux enfants, et il est tres difficile de trouver un professeur qui consent a y passer quelques heures." 1915 The The Bastard of Istanbul, A Novel by Elif Shafak "Even in Sivas, in the small Catholic Armenian village of Pirkinik when they went to seek shelter with Grandpa and Grandma, only to be expelled one night by soldiers breaking into the house; even when he found himself walking amid thousands of drained, famished, beaten Armenians guarded by soldiers on horseback, even when he trudged through a long, thick carpet of mud, vomit, blood, and excrement.........."Danish documents on the Armenian Genocide: The minister in Constantinople (Carl Ellis Wandel) to the foreign minister (Erik Scavenius) Source : Danish National Archives, Foreign Office, Group Cases 1909-1945. Dept. 139, Gr. D, No. 1, "Turkey - Inner Relations". Package 1, to Dec. 31, 1916 No. CXIII [113] Constantinople, September 4, "In the parish of Sivas, the only village to have been spared is Pirkinik, where the archbishop, Monseigneur Ketchedjian, has escaped to. He, and one cleric that accompanied him, are the only survivors."The Treatment of Armenians, Vicount Bryce, 96. ANGORA : EXTRACT FROM THE NARRATIVE (DOC. 88). OF MISS AA, A FOREIGN TRAVELLER IN ASIATIC TURKEY; COMMUNICATED BY THE AMERICAN COMMITTEE FOR ARMENIAN AND SYRIAN RELIEF. "The favour that had been obtained through the Austrian and American Embassies in Constantinople for Catholics and Protestants to be exempted from deportation, is in some cases being faithfully observed, but in others not at all. I was in Sivas when the rich village of Perkenik was entirely and most ruthlessly deported. It was an entirely Catholic village of perhaps one thousand homes. They had beautiful horses and great flocks of sheep. The flocks and horses were sent into the city, and the people were literally driven out with whips. When a complaint was made to the officers that this should not be done, because they were Catholics and had been especially faithful to the Government at all times, the reply was given that politics had changed, and that Italy had entered the war since this order had come from Constantinople." Notes: There are a lot more books on line in Turkish, which, unfortunately, I cannot read. There are also a lot of books that require payment to read online or to buy.
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| Famous People list from the History of Perkenik
by Father Ephrem Boghossian written in the 1950 or 60s and translated by Joe Topalian. Bishop Hajian's List
MECHITHARISTS, a congregation of Armenian monks in communion with the Church of Rome. The founder, Mechithar, was born at Sebaste in Armenia, 1676. He entered a monastery, but under the influence of Western missionaries he became possessed with the idea of propagating Western ideas and culture in Armenia, and of converting the Armenian Church from its monophysitism and uniting it to the Latin Church. Mechithar set out for Rome in 1695 to make his ecclesiastical studies there, but he was compelled by illness to abandon the journey and return to Armenia. In 1696 he was ordained priest and for four years worked among his people. In 1700 he went to Constantinople and began to gather disciples around him. Mechithar formally joined the Latin Church, and in 1701, with sixteen companions, he formed a definitely religious institute of which he became the superior. Their Uniat propaganda encountered the opposition of the Armenians and they were compelled to move to the Morea, at that time Venetian territory, and there built a monastery, 1706. On the outbreak of hostilities between the Turks and Venetians they migrated to Venice, and the island of St Lazzaro was bestowed on them, 1717. This has since been the headquarters of the congregation, and here Mechithar died in 1749, leaving his institute firmly established. The rule followed at first was that attributed to St Anthony; but when they settled in the West modifications from the Benedictine rule were introduced, and the Mechitharists are numbered among the lesser orders affiliated to the Benedictines. They have ever been faithful to their founder's programme. Their work has been fourfold: (i) they have brought out editions of important patristic works, some Armenian, others translated into Armenian from Greek and Syriac originals no longer extant; (2) they print and circulate Armenian literature among the Armenians, and thereby exercise a powerful educational influence; (3) they carry on schools both in Europe and Asia, in which Uniat Armenian boys receive a good secondary education; (4) they work as Uniat missioners in Armenia. The congregation is divided into two branches, the head houses being at St Lazzaro and Vienna. They have fifteen establishments in various places in Asia Minor and Europe. There are some 150 monks, all Armenians; they use the Armenian language and rite in the liturgy.The same on several internet sites. See also Mekhitarist Fathers and Mekhitar.org Vartabed A Vartabed was a doctor of theology.
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