Turkish soldiers used the St. Bardughimeios Armenian Monastery located in the Albayarak (historically Aghbak) District in the Bashkale region of Van as a bathroom.

Selman Keles, a correspondent for the Turkish Dicle news agency, has touched upon the history of the church in his article posted on the agency’s website.

According to Keles, the monastery has been in the military zone and has been destroyed by Turkish soldiers for a long time. The soldiers have enclosed the area near the church and have damaged the icons on the walls in search of treasure.

“Built in the 13^th-14^th centuries, there are traces of cultural genocide on the monastery. The church was built on the tomb of St. Bartholomew (St. Bartholomew died in the 4^th century) and served as a church until the First World War, but, like the Armenians, it was also crushed during the Armenian Genocide. During the years of the Republic of Turkey, Turkish soldiers dug trenches near the church that had been located in a military zone for years and used the church as a bathroom,” the article reads, according to ermenihaber.am.

According to the author, even today, the historic monastery is in ruins and abandoned, and there are no plans to preserve or restore the monument.