TRANSLATOR'S
PREFACE
(In this preface, I intend to include introductory information that I consider important to the readers to help them put this work in perspective. I only have some rough thoughts as of now and "time wise" this will be the last that I'll complete when things become clearer at the end of the project. Here are some sketchy preliminary ideas. It is now 1995. [JT])
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
I
will begin with a brief biography of the author, Fr. Ephrem Boghossian,
Mechitharist of Vienna, Austria. I have written to Austria for more
information, his photo, and an outline of his works. [NOTE: This was received
later and is now included in the Armenian section. A translation may come
later.]
ABOUT
THIS BOOK
Here
I'll make some comments about the nature and scope of this book.
NOTE:
At
the outset let me state that in the 1960's the job was completed and sent for
printing to Beirut, Lebanon where in 1969 a typed Armenian manuscript was
completed in preparation for its final proofing and printing. The latter stages were never reached as
both the author and sponsor (a Mr.H.Tarpinian from Detroit, Michigan) died within
a week of each other. The 1969
preliminary manuscript is all we have. This is the "book."
The author wanted to write a critical
study, that is, a work based on the available sources. Considering the history
of the Armenian people in the inner regions of the Near East, where the Village
of Perkenik was located, it is a marvel that any written documents of any kind
could have been found. Over the
centuries the area had been one of constant war and movements of invading
hordes, crisscrossing the land in frenzies of barbaric slaughter and
destruction of property. For that
reason much of the early history of the village is necessarily incomplete and
unknowable. But if anyone could
have scrounged out the bits of largely-hidden evidence, it would have to have
been such a one as Fr. Ephrem.
There in the monastery in Vienna, Austria, away from the distractions of
the world, he was a disciplined monk and researcher. The library wing of the monastery contained the world's
largest collection of Armenian newspapers and periodicals, and a massive
library of sources of all kinds.
His specialty was researching Armenian dynasties or prominent families
and writing his findings mostly in the Monastery Periodical "Handes
Amsorya." He diligently read and collected
excerpts from these papers and other documents at the library[1].
His
style reflects his personality as a cool just-the-facts-ma'am type of investigator. He tries to keep the account strictly factual and relies
solely on his available sources. He intrudes little of himself and is content to let
his sources speak for themselves.
Even when sources are absent or scanty, he is reluctant to speculate or
to venture an opinion. (Well, most
of the time.) He does have a warm
and compassionate nature, though, and this comes out in the way he organizes
his sources and weaves a warm, colorful, or moving yet factual story out of
them.
To
appreciate the scope of his book, I suggest you scan the Table of Contents. These headings were the "cubby
holes" into which Fr. Ephrem
placed his collected source materials. Had he more cooperation[2] from those who could have provided him with first
hand information back in the 1950's
and 1960's[3] he could have filled a few more gaps and covered
certain topics in more detail. But
for the love he developed for the people of Perkenik -- you feel he
is already a fellow villager and family member -- and for his
drive and persistence in bringing this task to fruition, he and he alone is
worthy of all praise. To him goes
full credit for ferreting out a wealth of information and making this truly
remarkable story known.
The entire Armenian
Manuscript -- over 250 typed pages --
is attached as is to
this English translation. At this time
I have no plans on having the Armenian text printed. {Later all will be placed
out on a web site.}
ABOUT
THIS ENGLISH TRANSLATION
First,
a few words about how I translate.
In translating this book, I have followed my usual approach, namely, to
translate as literally as
possible. Unless the style or
expression is too idiomatic, I will try but not always succeed in closely
following the original Armenian.
Reading something in the Armenian, and then paraphrasing it in your own
words is easier to do, but I feel that with more effort a translator can
closely follow the author's words and style and still weave a creditable
translation. I know that this can sometimes result in unusual turns of
expression but I believe it catches the flavor of the Armenian better. In addition, because of the wide range
of cited sources, there is a great variety of styles. Depending on who is cited, the language can range from
matter-of-fact prose (like our short-and-to-the-point American English) to flowery, colorful, and rich in
meaning (and often tough to translate) forms of expression.. In any case I'll always try to convey
the sense the best I can. (How I will translate poems, rustic lullabies, and
richly-dialectical verse I'm not sure at this point.)
Secondly,
I am keeping the body of Fr. Ephrem's book intact. That is,
I have adhered to his exact organization and content and have not interposed
new matter within the body of his text.
After all it is his book. I will therefore relegate possible new
matter to the Supplements. To
minimize clutter in the main text, one thing I have done is to place the
author's citations in the footnotes as I'm sure he would have done had he lived
long enough to supervise a final printing, but all we have is the Armenian
manuscript as typed on an old-fashioned typewriter where footnotes could not
easily have been added. In the
footnotes, I will indicate they are the authors by appending his initials in
brackets: "[Author EB]" or
simply "[EB]"
Thirdly,
this translation is a one-man operation being done by me, myself, I, and Joe Topalian. I am doing it in my spare time,
piecemeal, which makes its completion painfully slow. Not that it matters that much, I'm sure the world isn't
waiting for it. (And now painfully
I confess it took me 20 years to get started on this project.) Nevertheless, late or otherwise, and
even if only a few are interested, I intend bringing this job to fruition. It's a matter of conscience: I promised myself I would do it and
though it's now some twenty years late, I owe it to the author of the original
Armenian, Fr. Ephrem Boghossian, C.M.Vd. to see that his work is made known to
a potentially far greater English readership. He worked hard on it over the years and died while it was
being prepared for publication.
The one who was to publish it, Mr. Hovagim Tarpinian of Detroit, himself
died a week after the author. So
the Armenian manuscript was placed in Limbo, i.e. in a box in my house. (How it got there is a story in
itself.) Now twenty years later
I'm trying to make it available first and foremost to American descendants,
young and old, "who have the
blood of Perkenik flowing in their veins" (to quote a
village expression) and ultimately to the English-speaking world at large
through distribution to libraries, etc. {Later it was decided to create a Web site for it eventually.}
Fourthly,
bringing to light a story about a handful of people from a place remote in time
and distance, a place of another culture to which few people today, young or
old, can relate, a place further that was wiped out in a genocide nearly a
century ago and no longer exists, with virtually no original inhabitants alive
today --bringing to light such a story
may seem to some an exercise in futility. ... Perhaps,
but on rereading this negative outlook of mine, I must now say: "This is an insult to our young
people. Of course they can relate to it, for this is a true,
gamut-of-the-emotions, blood-and-guts human interest story that transcends time
or culture." Anyway, speaking for myself, the more I
learn about this people and their small village -- and I'm
learning all the time -- the more I feel compelled to tell their
story as best I can. Besides,
young people have a right to be given the opportunity to learn something of
their "roots" and some have so expressed this desire.
Lastly,
since it is my translation, I'm responsible for whatever is good or bad in
it. I am open to and welcome any constructive criticism,
identification of errors or omissions, and suggestions for improvement.[4] The
attached original Armenian manuscript will enable anyone to check this
translation and so keep me honest. For any used input or other
contribution I will of course give due credit. Please don't hesitate to express your criticism
(constructive I hope) because my ego is so small that it's uncrushable. Of that I can boast in all humility
(just kidding!!).
ABOUT
THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK
The
Armenian title reads:
BADMOOTIUN SEPASTIYO PRKNIK (PAKRADUNIK)
KIUGHIN
(KNNAGAN
OOSOOMNASIROOTIUN)
IPR HOOSHAMADIAN PRKNIK KIUGHAVANIN[5]
which
I've translated
HISTORY OF THE ARMENIAN VILLAGE OF PERKENIK
(PAKRADUNIK)
IN THE PROVINCE OF SEBASTIA
(A CRITICAL STUDY)
The Armenian word Badmootiun can be translated as
either "History" or "Story." The
word "Story" would do just fine but I believe the author meant the
more formal "History." (I think he would have used another word to
better convey the less formal idea "story".) By "Critical Study" (knnagan oosoomnasirootiun) the author means that he is basing his book on
documented sources. The village's
name is "Perkenik." The name "Pakradunik" in parenthesis is in deference to the villagers'
traditional and formal name for their village. ("Pakradunik" is the Western Armenian way of pronouncing the same
Armenian name which was - and still is -
pronounced "Bagratunik" in the east or in Armenia proper[6], after the early middle age royal dynasty from which
the villagers had claimed descent [from a branch that engaged in a westward
migration around 1000 A.D.]
The author deals with this question of origin in the
first three chapters and says that none of his sources nor the historical
record (admittedly deficient) support this claim though he admits the tradition
was tenaciously held, even by his idol, Daniel Varoujan. For what it's worth, I will present
some interesting thoughts on this question in a supplement.
At the outset, let me state that royal descent today
is irrelevant. Personal virtue is what really matters, and to me the people of the
Village of Perkenik, with their unique[7] adherence to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
Faith established by Jesus Christ and practiced by their Armenian Fathers, for
holding fast to and perseverance in this faith over the centuries and
especially in the brutal genocide of 1915. -- to me this
is their true worth that merits them the words of St. Peter in his first
epistle (1 Peter 2: 4-9): ..
"...But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare
the praises of Him.."[8]
ABOUT
THE VILLAGE AND ITS PEOPLE
Scanning
the Table of Contents from Chapter
1 dealing with the first beginnings of the known history of the village through
Chapter 21 dealing with its ruins, one can't help appreciating the breadth of
coverage the author was able to provide.
Ideally, one should read such a book as this armed with a bundle of
disciplines under his belt, from the many centuries old secular and religious
history of the Armenian people, especially under the last five hundred years of
Ottoman Rule, to a knowledge of the Catholic Religion in which this people of
Perkenik persevered in an almost miraculous way through the centuries. Only then
can we begin to appreciate this story.
Perkenik And Constantinople "A Tale of Two Cities"
Perkenik was only a rural village and population wise came nowhere near the size of a city. But if it were large enough, we could then call the story in this book a "Tale of Two Cities." From apparently the early 1700s a small but important Perkenik colony was established in Constantinople. Though only a small percentage lived in the big city, there was always a shuttling of family members back and forth between the two sites. As you will read in Chapter 23, thanks to a Perkeniktsee who became an Admiral in the Turkish Navy (Hassan Pasha) the Perkeniktsees had the exclusive privilege of running the Sultan's own shipyards. This privilege lasted 120 years during which much transpired. The original quarter they settled in was Beyoghlu. Later, in 1886-7 they built a Hospital. A large cemetery in the Shishli-Pangalti section reflects the importance of Constantinople in the lives of these people away from the beloved mother village of Perkenik some 400 crow-miles eastward and nearly a mile upward in the rugged Anatolian mountain plateau. The actual trip was considerably more than 400 miles and far more dangerous as well as arduous.[9] See the map at the end of this Translator's Preface.
A Bit of Economic and Cultural Geography
Several chapters provide detailed information relating to the village's geography in the broad sense. In Chapter 4 there is an extensive and colorful description of the land features and buildings, and in Chapter 5 a brief enumeration of some religious shrines. The quotes in Chapters 6, "Climate and Produce", and in Chapter 9, "Perkenik's Economy" seem to come from a rudimentary text on economic geography. Chapter 7 has some statistics on the village's population. In these chapters you see a bustling and thriving agricultural center of busy men and women cultivating many square miles of lush farmlands, raising farm animals and beasts of burdens, hitching up wagons to embark on some journey, etc. In this rugged mountain country anyone engaging in transport had to know not only a lot about mule-pulled wagons, pack animals, and regional geography, but also something about self defense. On all counts these villagers were transporters par excellence, you might say "the taxi service" of the day.[10] The village also engaged in some industry such as rug weaving, etc.
The Character
of the People
Chapter 17 specifically deals with this topic. Here the author's sources (based on experiences of Non-Perkeniktsee visitors) show two dominant traits: Hospitality and Exemplary Practice of their Catholic Faith. A Perkiniktsee's litany of traits is also included.
Besides these, some other qualities of the people are mentioned in another place, in Chapter 10 oddly enough, which is entitled: "Perkenik's Famous Wrestlers." I suppose the author cites these traits in this chapter (10) because they refer more to the villager's physical characteristics Anyway, they're succinct and I'll lump them here:
Perkeniktsi women are: vivacious,
ardent, and very hardy.
Another source says: The
Perkeniktsis are very healthy, vigorous, and fervent especially the women who
are unequaled in hardiness and bravery, and possess a unique beauty ... they
are ready to explode in a fiery outburst and love a good fight.
Remember these traits are those of clean-living, God-fearing, rugged, and rustic village folk. Those who stayed in Perkenik's Constantinople colony I'm sure had some of it rub off (because Armenian women born and raised in this big city are reputed to be refined and delicate). Those of us who grew up as first generationers will remember the good-natured bantering among these elements.
Accomplishments
of Some Lay People
Throughout the book you will meet famous people of Perkenik proper and its colony in the city. In Chapter 10 we see some amazing (and probably exaggerated a bit) accounts of the physical prowess of some famous wrestlers. In the 102 pages of Chapter 18, Famous Personalities of Perkenik, we read about the clergy and ancient families. Among the literary personages, dominant is the name of Daniel Varoujan whom the author calls "The greatest Armenian poet." The bulk of the chapter is dedicated to the life and works of this one man. With nearly 100 pages of the author's valuable research presents there, we will say nothing further here.
Chapter 22
provides some biographical sketches of a few other prominent people. Among these sketches, the life of Aristakes
Azarian stands out. In Constantinople of the mid 19th
century, the Azarians achieve great wealth in international trade. Under the trade firm "Azarian
and Son," father Hovhannes and son
Aristakes build a renown state-of-the-art sailing vessel named "Armenia." It was
used to transport goods between major ports, especially between Constantinople
and Boston, Massachusetts. As an
international banker and government representative, Aristakes earns high honors
from Turkey and Europe. His many
charities are legendary: In Belgium, he constructs girls and boys schools. In Hajin, he builds two beautiful
educational institutions. To the
school at Bandirma and that of the Immaculate Conception sisters, he donates
large sums of money. His wife
Hripsime was a great benefactor for the St. James (Soorp Hagop) Hospital and a
shelter for the poor. The author states that it would take pages to show the
extent of his charitable works. In
some of these he cooperates with his equally famous brother who was to become the Catholicos-Patriarch
Stephen Peter X.
The Clergy
The section of Chapter 18 dealing with the "Clergy" turned out to be the most amazing
to me. Please turn to it and scan the list of names of priests produced by this small community. I think it is astounding and speaks volumes about the "one and only Perkenik." Besides the sheer numbers, I'll just bring out one facet of this picture:
In the Catholic Church's Hierarchy, of course, JESUS CHRIST is the Invisible Head, and the Pope, His Vicar on earth, is the visible head. He has supreme jurisdiction etc. over the entire Catholic world. Next in rank are the Patriarchs. The Pope wearing his "Patriarch of the West" hat has jurisdiction over hundreds of millions of "Western Rite[11]" Catholics. Catholics of other rites in the rest of the world have their own Eastern Rite Patriarchs, including Armenian Catholics. So in rank a Patriarch is next highest to the Pope. Now to the point of all this: Did you know that in the 19th Century little Perkenik had two outstanding Patriarchs? To anyone familiar with some earth-shaking events that took place in the period of their reign, the role of Perkenik's patriarchs will amaze you. For now let me list the names of three Patriarchs[12], the first and third being the Perkeniktsees. The second is the very great non-Perkenikstee Armenian Cardinal Anton Hassuni:
Gregory Peter
VIII DerAsdvadzadoorian [Perkenik]...................1843-1866
Anthony Peter IX
Hassuni (Cardinal)............................................1866-1881
Stephen Peter X
Azarian [Constantinople, of Perkenik
Parents]...1881-1899
Of course, in terms of numbers, the jurisdiction of these Patriarch-Catholici is relatively very small, but in role and rank, by Divine Providence, they are very high. The form of address to a Catholicos-Patriarch is "His (Your) Beatitude." The current Patriarch-Catholicos is His Beatitude Hovhannes Peter XVIII Kasparian. The famous Cardinal Gregory Agagianian had been "Peter XV" and one of his Vicars was Bishop Sahag Kogian (who had been pastor of Holy Cross Church in the Boston area from 1939-1951).
No doubt you have guessed that Armenian Catholic Patriarchs have assumed the name Peter to show their loyalty to the Christ-established Chair of Peter. Though the Apostle of Armenia in the fourth century St. Gregory the Illuminator (Loosavorich) and his successors were ardent believers in and subjects of the Christ's vicar in Rome, for historic reasons (way beyond the scope of this preface) the custom of using "Peter" in the titles began in 1742 with the great Abraham Peter I Ardzivian under Pope Pope Benedict XIV.
One last interesting
sideline. In my library I have a
beautifully-bound 3-inch thick Greek Dictionary
in four languages: Greek, Italian,
Armenian, and Turkish. It was
authored by the "Brothers Aristakes and Stephen Azarian" and published in 1848. Until I read the present book (i.e. this one by Fr. Ephrem
Boghossian) I had no idea that they were Perkiniktsees.
OTHER
SUBTITLES TO THIS PREFACE
(There
are a few more key topics to cover but I'll have to do these later.)
SUPPLEMENTS
By
now you must realize that this English version will contain more information
that will hopefully supplement the original text. At this point I'm not sure of the scope or content of this
supplementary information, but what follows is my first stab at it.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFO WITHIN THE TEXT BODY.
As
already explained, the only "intrusion" into the author's text will
be in the form of footnotes. The rest of the supplementary information will be
attached (appended) outside the text body.
Footnotes
If a bit of supplementary and immediately applicable information is to be added, I have taken the liberty to include it within the body of the text as a footnote. Hopefully, these will be "short." The source of the footnote will be identified by initials in brackets. Mine, for example, are identified by "[JT]." I do not like any "intrusion" into Fr. Ephrem's book, but I feel these bits of information in the footnotes are minimally intrusive and worthwhile. After all, who wants to keep flipping pages and plowing through bulky supplemental texts.
APPENDED
SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements to
Individual Chapters
This section will be appended outside the body of the text in a separate section. There are possibilities for supplementing other chapters, but in this early stage I have the following two items (a.) Martyrology and (b) Confessors of the Faith, will be added as Translator's (or "Editorial") Supplements to Chapter 20.
Supplement A. to
Chapter 20: Martyrology
Chapter 20 in the text body describes how the 1915 Genocide was carried out against the Perkeniktsees. This "Martyrology" supplement as well the following "Confessors of the Faith" supplement cover different aspects of the same event. All we are trying here is to compile as complete a list of names as possible of those who were killed or deported or became missing during the 1915 Genocide. Where available we have provided accounts, as well, of how individuals (or groups) were martyred based on data contributed by family members
Even though they truly died for their faith, and are thus truly martyrs, I can only use the word "unofficially" since the official term refers to the lists of canonized saints for whom dates have been set aside for Divine Worship as Martyrs. Nevertheless, I feel justified in using this word. Anyway, this will be a tough one to do justice to but with the help received we've compiled as complete a list as possible.
Supplement B. to Chapter
20: Confessor's of The Faith
In this supplement we have tried to compile a list of those who have suffered for the faith and survived. This includes those who have endured death marches (some losing their children en route by starvation, capture, or some other awful way), or suffered injury in some other manner. In Constantinople, for example, some endured permanent disabilities from being cast into cold stone prisons. Here too we hope to have accounts supplied by family members.
General
Supplements
At this stage I don't know exactly what will go here. Following are some initial probes.
Historic
Background
In a sense the entire book is a history and indeed the word occurs in its title. More explicitly, Chapters 1, 2, and 3 deal with the earliest records on the village, the origin of its name, and the date of its first settlement. Chapter 8 is an historic perspective of Perkenik through the centuries. And so on as you can see how history is woven into virtually every chapter.
In this historical supplement, we will try to give the readers some general background history so they can gain some perspective in reading this book. Most of the younger readers will know little or nothing about the geography and history of the Near East where this real life drama took place. To one living in this incredible, technologically-advanced 20th century with our fabulous ease of travel, communications, and material comforts, and especially to one living in this still (but going fast) American land of the free with its inspired God-based and Christian Constitution and political stability, it is hard to picture life as it was in remote Perkenik. Since Perkenik was a rural and agricultural community, in a land far different from our own in many ways, and at a time when modern technology had hardly begun, it may even be harder yet for most of us to relate, especially since most of the descendants in the U.S.A. live in modern cities. But as stated, the human interest is there.
During its entire nearly one-thousand year existence, virtually none of it was in true freedom. Armenia had lost its last great Kingdom (ruled by the great Bagratuni Dynasty) in its homeland in the 11th century. Most Armenian communities were Christian minorities living as islands within a vast ocean of largely primitive, mostly Muslim, and nearly always hostile and envious Turkic tribes. This small village, Perkenik, was in the middle of this ocean, living as a small but important agricultural center. But as you learn more, you will see how this small village exhibited some wonderful qualities that made its people stand out in a unique way.
Translator's
Comments
Again, I don't know fully what I'll put here, but I'm reserving it for comments too broad in scope for a footnote or maybe too long. Here are one or two preliminary thoughts.
Translator's Commentary On the Bagratuni Origin of the Village.
(Who knows what other topics will come here?)
NOTE:
Without trying to edit or coordinate this info, I add snippets from
another early effort at a translators preface, just to get some more content in
one place:
(Beginning of snippet)
About this Book
Here I'll make some comments
about the nature and scope of this book.
The author wanted to write a critical study, that is, a work based on
the available evidence, documentary and otherwise. Considering the history of the Armenian people in the inner
regions of Anatolia, it is a marvel that any written documents of any kind can
be found. The area had been one of
constant war and movements of invading hordes, crisscrossing the land in
frenzies of barbaric slaughter and destruction of property. Caught between the mighty powers of
East and West, the people of Armenia
and those living in the Anatolian territories were rightfully labelled
"The People of the Crossroads." .Of necessity , those who had not
migrated to other countries (the Caucasus, Russia, Poland, Europe, etc) or who
had avoided being massacred became masters of survival.
A book covering the earlier periods of the history of …
Historic Background
Here I will try to give the
reader some perspective. Most of
the younger readers will know little or nothing about the geography and history
of that location. To one living in
this incredible, technologically-advanced 20th century with our fabulous ease
of travel, communications, and material comforts, and especially to one living
in this still (but going fast) land of the free with its inspired God-based and
Christian Constitution and political stability, it is hard to picture life as
it was in Perkenik. During its
entire
\nearly one-thousand year
existence, virtually none of it
was in true freedom. Armenia had lost its last great Kingdom (ruled by the
great Bagratuni Dynasty) in its homeland in the 11th century. Most Armenian communities were
Christian minorities living as islands within a vast ocean of largely
primative, mostly Muslim, and nearly always hostile and envious Turkic tribes. This small village, Perkenik, was in
the middle of this ocean living as a small but important agricultural
center. But as you learn more, you
will see how this small village exhibited some incredible qualities that made
its people stand out in a unique way.
Armenians in these
regions of Anatolia had mostly migrated westward from the Bagratunian Kingdom
after its fall in the eleventh century.
(The history of this fall is quite amazing. With Seljuk Turkish hordes threatening, the Bagratuni king and patriarch signed
an agreement with the Byzantine Greeks for their help. Before the help came, they repelled the
Seljuks, but the Greeks "legally" took over the kingdom as tens of
thousands of Armenians, in the exchange, migrated westward toward the Greek lands.
The Greeks later succumbed to the Seljuks,the beauutiful capital Ani was
levelled, and all of the regions
were soon overrun including the Greek territories where Armenians had
migrated.) Despite what most current history books say, the Bagratunis were largely Catholic
("Chalcedonian") and their church dignitaries and rulers recognized
the Pope as Christ's Vicar. Ani,
their capital, had been known as "The City of a Thousand Churches." As part of these migrations, some
members of the Bagratunis moved further westward and occupied the southwest
coastal regions of the Mediterranian and soon formed the Armenian Kingdom of
Cilicia (ca. 1000+ to 1375.) These Armenian Catholics played an
important role in aiding their coreligionist Latin Rite Crusaders from
Europe.
According
to Perkenik tradition, another branch of the Bagratunis established this
villagearound the late 900's and early 1000's A.D. . The author of this book, Fr. Boghossian addresses this
question of the village's origins in the first three chapters. I will add my commentary in an Appendix..
Most of the documented history occurs from
the late 1600's to its destruction in 1915. This roughly corresponds to our early U.S. History. Thanks to thousands of movies, we have
a good idea of life in these times: "primitive living," no modern
technology, horse- or mule-driven wagons, muddy roads, and danger from Indians.
Yet life here was in may ways a lot easier - it was their own land and no
threat of extermination by barbaric hordes of brutal invaders
(End of snippet)
NOTE:
Just
found another snippet from my notes, so I’ll throw this one in too:
(Beginning
of snippet)
Armenians
in these regions of Anatolia[13]
had mostly migrated westward from the Bagratunian Kingdom after its fall in the
eleventh century. (The history
of this fall is quite amazing.
With Seljuk Turkish hordes threatening, the Bagratuni king and patriarch signed an agreement with
the Byzantine Greeks for their help.
Before the help came, they repelled the Seljuks, but the Greeks
"legally" took over the kingdom as tens of thousands of Armenians, in
the exchange, migrated westward toward the Greek lands. The Greeks later
succumbed to the Seljuks,the beauutiful capital Ani was levelled, and all of the regions were soon
overrun including the Greek territories where Armenians had migrated.) Despite
what most current history books say,
the Bagratunis were largely Catholic ("Chalcedonian") and
their church dignitaries and rulers recognized the Pope as Christ's Vicar. Ani, their capital, had been known as
"The City of a Thousand Churches." As part of these migrations, some members of the Bagratunis
moved further westward and occupied the southwest coastal regions of the
Mediterranian and soon formed the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (ca. 1000+
to 1375.) These Armenian Catholics played an
important role in aiding their coreligionist Latin Rite Crusaders from Europe. In the "Translator's
Appendix" (Appendix D), I
will provide historical information from various sources as the need develops.
Though
it cannot be verified historically, according to Perkenik tradition, another
branch of the Bagratunis established this village around the late 900's and
early 1000's A.D. . The author of
this book, Fr. Boghossian addresses this question of the village's origins in
the first three chapters. I will
add my commentary in an
Appendix.
Most of the documentable history covers the period
from the late 1600's to 1915 when Perkenik was destroyed. This roughly corresponds to our early
U.S. History. Thanks to thousands
of movies, we have a good idea of life in these times: "primitive
living," no modern technology, horse- or mule-driven wagons, muddy roads,
and danger from Indians. Yet life here was in many ways a lot easier. People had
far more rights, life was a relatively safe and stable, cultural and religious
life could develop unhindered, and there was no equivalent threat of
extermination by numerically superior barbaric hordes of brutal invaders
Caught
between the mighty powers of East and West, the people of Armenia and those living in the Anatolian
territories were rightfully labelled "The People of the Crossroads."
.Of necessity , those who had not migrated to other countries (the Caucasus,
Russia, Poland, Europe, etc) or who had avoided being massacred became masters
of survival. This is the character of the people. Even more so the people of
Perkenik. Not only did they retain
their Armenian identity (not as easy as one would think) but more amazingly
they persevered in their Catholic Faith.
Here they had to weather attacks and persecution by their misguided
fellow Armenians who in these parts were largely members of the national
religion. As one writer, referring to such Eastern Catholics, wrote: "They
were caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea." Nonetheless, the people of Perkenik and
their Colony in Constantinople, adhered fiercely to the One, Holy, Catholic,
and Apostolic Faith of their Armenian Fathers, the True Church of Jesus
Christ. In this regard, 100%
Catholic Perekenik stood out like a beacon on an island fortress --
impregnable, self-sufficient, and unique.
As many Armenian (especially Catholic) travellers passing through the
rough Anatolian terrain and "bad lands" testified, Perkenik provided a hospitable, safe,
and truly welcome haven.
(End of snippet.)
[1]This book has been in the works a long time. Way back in 1951 the author showed me in his room a stack of small-pad size papers containing references to Perkenik. They were pressed over one of many spikes, each dedicated to a subject. As he scanned his sources (typically newspapers) he used to pull off the top paper from the appropriate spike and update it to the new reference. From time to time I used to ask him "How's the Perkinik Spike doing?" [JT]
[2]By way of exception, two Perkeniktsees in particular , Mr. Reissian and Mr. Balabanian, were very helpful as the author states from time to time. [JT]
[3]See the author's Foreword. [JT]
[4] Remember, this is a preliminary draft copy and now is the time to improve it. I certainly plan to redo a lot of it and I've just barely begun the translation. [JT]
[5]Transliterated according to the Western Armenian pronunciation. In Armenian, all words are accented on the last syllable. [JT]
[6]This phenomenon is called "Transmutation of Consonants in Western Armenian." See for example, Fr. Sahag Kogian, Armenian Grammar,1949, Mechitharist Press, Vienna, Austria, p.7. Sepastia refers to the ancient Anatolian city and province Sebastia which is called Sivas in Turkey today..[JT]
[7]Perkenik was 100% Armenian and 100% Catholic. According to what Archbishop Habosian, General Abbot of the Mechitharists, told me in 1951, there were only three such places, both of the others I believe were in (East) Armenia proper or the Cuacusus region. That makes Perkenik unique in all of the vast Anatolian Peninsula (boundaries of modern Turkey). As the reader deepens his knowledge by reading this book, he or she will realize why I would have liked to subtitle Fr. Ephrem's work: "A Jewel in The Anatolian Highlands" [JT]
[8]The (grapar)
Armenian scriptural quote is: "AYL
DUK AZG EK' UNTIR, T'AK'AVORAKAN
K'AHANAYUTIUN, AZG SURP,
ZHOGHOVURD SEP'HAKAN...." I intended to use the whole quote in a dedication as
follows:
DEDICATED
TO THE MARTYRED VILLAGE OF PERKENIK - 1915:
"As
you come to Him [Jesus Christ] the Living Stone -- rejected by
men but chosen by God and Precious to Him
-- you also, like living
stones, are built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, a holy
nation, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. For it is written:
"See, I lay a Stone in Zion, a Chosen and
Precious Cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to
shame."
(Is
28:16)
"Now
to you who believe, this Stone is Precious.
'The Stone the builders rejected has become the
Headstone."
(Psalm
118:22)
and "A Stone
that causes men to stumble and a Rock that makes them fall" (Is 8:14)
They stumble because they disobey the message -- which is also what they were destined for.
"But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of Him...
.
[9]One route I know of (from my mother) was 100+ miles down the rugged slopes toward the Black Sea port of Samsun, and thence by a "small, smelly, oily, and smoky tramp-steamer of some kind" (my mother's words) westward over 400 miles by sea to Constantinople. This trip by my eight-year old mother took place in 1908-09. I'm sure the readers' supplement will tell of how others travelled. [JT]
[10]I have been told (by Joe Degirmenjian) that when Armenians in that region had to send their womenfolk anywhere, they made sure they were transported by the Perkeniktsees under whose protection they felt they would be secure. [JT]
[11]I can't say "Latin Rite" because these good people are in the modern Catacombs and I'm there with them --but this is anothe question. [JT]
[12]Anyone interested in learning more about this, please contact me (Joe Topalian.) [JT]
[13]Anatolia refers to the large interior land masses of today's Turkish peninsula. The term is simply a Greek word meaning a rising up, i.e. the land where the sun rises, the East. This is of course with respect to Western Europe. The Germans have a colorful expression for it: "Morgenland," land of the morning. This region is sometimes referred to as Asia Minor, especially in ancient times. My Webster's says the term "Anatolia" first occurred in 1590, but this has to be in English usage only because I know it occurs in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament written two centuries before Christ. The Latin equivalent of this "rising up" of the sun is "(sol) oriens" from which we get the term Orient. While I'm at it, another point: this area of Asia Minor is called the "Near East". If a West European bird were to continue flying eastward he would next come upon the "Middle East" and finally the pacific areas called the "Far East." Note also the Chinese and Japanese pictographs show a sun behind a tree to indicate "east," the direction of the "Rising Sun." This geographical relationship to Western Europe is why Armenians came to be called an "Eastern" people and their form of the worship referred to as an "Eastern Rite." Etc... [JT]