Taşhoron Church, located in the Çavuşoğlu neighborhood of Yeşilyurt district in Malatya city center, was built as an Armenian Apostolic Church. Although the year of construction and by whom is unknown, it is estimated that it was built in the second half of the 1700s. The church, which has a rectangular basilical plan measuring 15.90x26.40 meters in east-west direction, is made of cut stone. The earthen dome made of brick in the center of the building survived until the late 1970s. The churchyard is surrounded by a low wall and iron railings for protection.

^{Taşhoron Church (Turkey Culture Portal)}

History

Taşhoron Church was built in accordance with the Armenian Apostolic (Lusavoriçagan) sect. Since the inscription of the building has been erased over time, the exact year of construction and its patron are unknown. However, considering the architectural style and the historical context of the region, it is assumed to have been built in the second half of the 18th century.

The church served the Armenian community living in Malatya during the Ottoman period. After the 20th century demographic and social changes, it lost its religious function and remained abandoned for many years.

Architectural Features

The Church of Tashhoron has a rectangular basilical plan with dimensions of 15.90x26.40 meters extending in east-west directions. At the northeast end of the church is a dark room (probably a burial chamber) of lower height, adjacent to the prothesis. The openings on the west-facing entrance façade of the church, which is built of cut stone, were recently covered with bricks. A small square was left in front of the building for the entrance, but it remains untreated as a dirt floor. The entrance door is characterized by marble workmanship.

The earthen dome made of brick in the center of the building survived until the late 1970s. The dome is seated on a dodecagonal dome pulley with windows on each side for overhead lighting. The areas not covered by the dome on the east and west sides were covered with cut stone barrel vaults. The vaults and the dome pulley are carried by four pilpâye made of cut stone in the center of the building. The wooden roof covering the vaults collapsed before the dome.

In the decoration of the collapsed dome, it is known that there are red and black paint on a beige background and twist motifs in a sequence from the center to the outside, eight bundles, eight winged, long-haired saints holding hands and depicted from the front, and eight male figures depicted from the front.

Conservation Status

During the restoration works that started in 2012, the concrete coating above the entrance door and the lower floor windows covered with stone were cleaned. The joints were filled, and the exterior was cleaned by sandblasting. Although scaffolding was installed inside the building, the restoration was stopped at this stage. In the current situation, the restoration of the building has not been completed, and traces of demolition continue in the interior and dome section.