Şişli Ermeni mezarlıkları'ndaki mezar yapılarının mimari özellikleri üzerine bir inceleme

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, Şişli1 de bulunan Ermeni ve Katolik Ermeni Mezarlıkları' nde farklı üslup özellikleriyle dikkat çeken mezar yapılarının mimarlık tarihi açısından aneminin değerlendirilmesine çalışılmıştır. Öncelikle bu eserlerin yapıldığı 19. yüzyıl içinde Osmanlı İmparatorluğu' nda yaşayan Ermeni topluluğun sosyal konumu ve ülkedeki siyasal ortam içindeki yerleri hakkında bilgi verilmiş, daha sonra Şişli 'deki Ermeni mezarlıklarının kurulma nedenleri ile ilgili tarihsel gelişmeler aktarılmıştır. Mezarlıklarda bulunan yapılardan araştırma kapsamına alınanlar iki ayrı grupta toplanarak incelenmiş, daha sonra bunların ortak özellikleri sınıflandırılmıştır. Her iki mezarlıktaki yapılardan bir grup, Ermeni Revivalist özellikler göstermekte, bir diğer grup ise 19. yüzyıl içindeki Batı kökenli üslup özelliklerini yansıtmaktadır. Ermeni Revivalist özellikler gösteren yapılar; eklektik kopyalar-kütlesel özellikleriyle Revivalist karakter taşıyan ancak batılı üslup özelliklerine de yer verilmiş olan yapılar-Batılı üslup özelliklerinin eklektik uygulaması için de Ermeni mimarisinden de alıntı yapanlar olarak üç grupta toplanmaktadır. Batı kökenli üslup özellikleri gösteren yapılar arasında neo- klasik ve neo-rönesans ağırlıklı olanlar çoğunluktadır. Bu iki grup içinde eklektik bir karakter de gözlenmiş ve eklektik ağırlığın hangi yönde olduğu her yapının üslup analizi sırasında açıklanmıştır. Bunların dışında saf olarak Art-Nouveau ve neo-mısır üslubunu yansıtan yapılar ayrı ayrı ele alınmıştır. Sonuçta, yapıların sadece üçte birinde Ermeni Revivalist özellikler tesbit edilmiştir. Ancak, Batılı üslupları yansıtan yapılarda gözlenen eklektik karakter bu grup için de geçerlidir. Çoğunlukta olan Batı üsluplu yapıların ise, daha çok Fransız ve italyan kaynaklı ve Osmanlı mimari geleneği ile bir senteze gerek duyulmadan yapılan birtakım kopyalar olduğu anlaşılmaktadır.

In this study the architectural characteristics of grave structures that attracted one's attention due to their varied styles in the Armenian, and Armenian Catholic Graveyards in Şişli yere closely examined, their similar and different aspects were determined and efforts were intensified on assesing their importance from the aspect of architectural history. During the times, these tombs were built, the Ottoman Empire was living through a political chaos during which various minority groups had started to fight for their liberty and had made considerable strides toward this goal. The Armenians were also part of this group. But since the Armenians, contrary to the other minory groups were divided into different sects they were also battling each other among themselves and failed to show any national solidarity. They were the only group among the others who considered themselves as Ottomans and had adopted all Ottoman traditions more than the others. The Armenians had therefore succeeded in being appointed to high posts in many branches of the State. The Catholic Armenian church was recognised by the Ottoman state in the 19th century. All efforts to spread the Catholic sect had been conducted in secrecy since the 14th century. It has been reported that the Gregorian Armenians had caused the Catholic Armenians of Istanbul to be exiled to Ankara. The hostilities between the Gregorian Armenians and the Catholic Armenians continued also throughout the 19th century, the Catholic church was accepted judicially and practically only after the decision for the exile of the Catholics was abolished under the pressure which the French exerted in 1B30. The European States acted as the protectors and benefactors of the Armenian Catholics, they have priviledged and given priority to the Armenian Catholics in their relations with the Ottomans. A part of this nationalistic movements were most widespread among the Gregorian Armenians and the "guerilla troops" that fought for the freedom of the Armenians were formed by the Gregorians. A short time before the Turkish Republic was founded efforts were made to establish the Armenian -vi- Republic but this venture failed as the locality was shared between the Republic of Turkey and Soviet Russia. During this century the Armenians too, just like many other minority groups attained some social rights and priviledges under the pressure exerted by European States and continued their monopoly especially in such sectors as banking, moneychanging, trading and handicrafts. It is natural that they lived under better aconomic " conditions than those the Muslim çomunity enjoyed, because for centuries they mere held exempt of compulsory military service and had found the opportunity to devote more time to trade and craf tmenship. It is also well known that the Armenians enjoyed priority and mere bound uith closer ties with European culture due to their religion and their social position within the Ottoman State in the commercial, cultural and economic relations with the West which were intensified during the 19th century. The majority of the Armenians were of the Gregorian sect which they had adopted in the 3rd century in the some time with Christianity and had completely cut their ties with the Roman Church in the 7th century. The Armenians who succeeded to develop a culture uniquely their own as a result of their faithful attachment to the Christian religion although they were frequently attacked by other states and their existence as a State was threatened. The Armenians lost their qualifications of being a state after the second half of the 15th century, some of them stayed back in Armenia which is their fathersland, the others immigrated to various foreign countries. They were most densely settled in Clycia, Bulgaria and Crymia, but they never became a majority in any region on the Ottoman Empire territory. It is known that the Armenian community existed in Istanbul before the conquest, from that day on the majority of them imigrated from Criman. The Armenians who are known to have settled in Istanbul since Byzantine times preferred to inhabit densely in Galata and its environment; in line with the city's development that started in the 19th century they began to move to the quarters which are known today as Pera, İstiklal Avenue, Pangaltı, Talimhane and Şişli. These were the most advanced districts of the city In the 19th century and were inhabited mostly by Levantines, some prosperous State officials and tradesmen. The most ancient Armenian cemetery in Istanbul that is known is the Balıklı graveyard. 7 of the 21 grave yards, the existence of which is known throughout history, have -vii- disappeared and become part of history themselves. 12 of the cemeteries still being used in our day are Gregorian burial grounds. Another established fact is that of the Armenian Churches that exist in Istanbul, 34 are Gregorian, 12 are Catholic and 2 are Protestant. Before the 19 th century the Armenians burried their deads usually around the sacred sources in the vicinity of their settlement areas; there was also a large Armenian cemetery in the south of Harbiye called Pangalti cemetery that does not exist anymore nowadays. The catholic Armenians and the Gregorians were burried in this same graveyard. After the cholera epidemic that broke-out in Istanbul in 1865, the Government prohibited the burial of the dead within the city due to sanitary reasons and plots in Şişli, which was a forlorn uninhabited district in those days were given to the Armenians to be used as burial grounds. From that date on a separate cemetery was allocated for the Armenian Catholics and the graveyard at Pangalti was closed. Both cemeteries began to be used as such from 1865 on and are still being used for the same purpose. 20 burial houses that show characteristics of superior styling in the Armenian and Armenian Catholic cemeteries in Şişli were taken into the scope of the present study. Of those burial houses 6 are found in the Armenian, and the other 14 in the Armenian Catholic cemetery. First of all, the structures found in the above mentioned graveyards were grouped into two separate groups according to the cemetery in which they are found and each of them was examined separately. The mass particulars, facade arrangements and decorations were described in a system that covers their characteristics from general to detail. Then certain styles in common seen on these structures were classified; and two main groups were determined, one that reflected characteristics of style of Armenian Revivialistic and the other of the Western architectural style. Burial houses that show the characteristics of Armenian Revivialism constitute one third of the total constructions and 6 of the total 7 structures in the Gregorian cemetery fall within this group. The burial houses that reflect the characteristics of Armenian Revivialism have been reclassified among thesselves because of their different approach to the same style. In accordance with this classification the ERMENYAN-TOKATER-KUPELYAN and MARIGYAN burial houses, that are illustrated on the pages attached hereto, consist a seperate group since they are examples of pure Armenian revivialism and do not reflect any traces or characteristics of Western origin. The Ermenyan Cemetery House is the structure among these where the Armenian revi valist characteristic is most strongy observed by the ? Will - numerosity of the extracts from various Armenian churches. The eclestic revivalist characters attracts attention at the entrance gate and the archivolt designs in the Tokater gra ve, at the inter facade arrangement on the Küpeliyan grave, and at the double window application at the entrance faca de and the facade ornamental elements at the Marijyan Grave. Another group consists of the CUNT-DONIKYAN and LUTFI- YAN burial houses that reflect characteristics of Armenian architecture in their mass properties have been inspired by the styles of the West in their facade decorations. Cunt semetary house forms on original example with the application of pseudo-Plladian facade ornaments to its mass reflecting the Armenian architecture." Donikyan cemetary house, although at first it reminds one of an Armenian church with double towers at first sight, attracts attention with the western origin ornaments and arrangements on its facade which were effective in Istanbul in the 19 th century. Liitfiyan cemetary house is a plain application reminding one of Armenian architecture in its oustline with its top mass separated from the main mass and reduced in size. Beside these groups there're two burrial houses with recessive revivalistic character, called FİLİB05YAN and AVEDİKYAN. In these tombs, certain elements and decorations that are characteristics of the traditional Armenian architecture have been reflected in an eclectic arrangement, but this feature does not attract one's attention at a first look and seems as having been lost within the eclectic character. Since these are within an architectural approach which reflect mostly characteristics of style that are particular to those of the Western style they were not taken in this part of this study. The majority of the burial houses studied are structures on which characteristics of Western architecture are dominant. These structures most of which are found in the Armenian Catholic cemetery constitute a main group of their own and reflect some different approaches within their own group. Within these style characteristics dominated by the neo-classical and neo- renaissance approaches which are mostly designed in an eclectic sense, have been taken-up as two separate groups. The burial houses in which the neo-classic style is the dominating one, can be listed as the Burial Houses of the TOKATLI- KANTAR- KGÇE YAN- ALL AH VERDİ YAN- PEKMEZ YAN- MAKASDAR families. Among those the Burial House of the Kantar Family is remarkable for its neo-classic styling with the Ionic order -IX- attached at its rusticated facade. The portice and ste "octagonal dome" surrounded by steppes at its bottom the Köçeyan Burial House, uihich as we have learned built according to the plans of an architect named Le Güregyan is an example of neo-classic simplicity, antique facade arrangement formed by pilasters of Allahverdiyan family burial house and its vaulted entra gate are reminiscents of the facade arrangements of imperial Kasır of Kağıthane Kiosk built by the Balyan The Pekmezyan burial house besides its neo-clas characteristics reflects also an architectural cone that uses certain Gothic elements and decoratio Another grave that is joining Gothic forms in its eclec character is the Azaryan Burial House which is anali under the second group. The Makasdar Burial House on other hand is a splandid specimen of Greek neo-classi simplicity. pped of was von The the nee the s. sic ept ns. tic zed the cal The approach to the neo-renaissance architectural styling is particularly apparent in the KASAPYAN-ÇEBEOĞLU- AZARYAN-FOÇAYAN-PEKMEZYAN-FILIBOSYAN and AVEDIKYAN burial houses, Buildings of eclectic character constitute the majority among this group, and the sources to which reference was made are also more numerous and varied. Among these structures, the Kasapyan and Çebeoğlu Burial Houses share the same architectural characteristics down to the smallest details and attract the attention of the observer with the fact that they are built side by on side. With their octagonel domes suported by tambours and facade orders they reflect an architectural concept inspired by Palladio. The Azaryan and Foçayan tombs take their place in the new-renaissance group with their concealed "monastery vaultings", their "risalits" and their rusticated facades however, the Azaryan tomb reflects some Gothic elements and has therefore adopted an eclectic approach. Despite the fact, that the Filibosyan tomb included in this group, is a renaissance construction due to its mass properties and ornamental pediment, it also caches the attention of the beholder with its column rediefs that are reminiscent of Armenian architecture. Although a neo- renaissance approach is apparent in the Avedikyan tomb in the general sense, the sources of inspiration within the eclectic characters are varied. The most striking item of this structure is the "gigantic Cross figure" that adorns its entrance facade. The contour lines of the additional facade part in front of the building's entrance are of Art-Nouveau character but the utilization of the cross figure is like a reflection of the use of big cross figures in the Armenian architecture. On the other hand -x- certain approaches to Byzantine and renaissance architectu re make themselves felt in the front entrance arrangement. Although it is rather difficult to concentrate on a certain style in this eclectic complexity, it is apparent that the renaissance style was taken as basis when the main lines of the building are taken into consideration. Set apart from the above mentioned ones and taken-up one by one were the MANUELYAN Burial House that is a pure example of Art-Nouveau architecture, the NURİCAN Burial House in neo-Egyptian style because of their unique forms and non-eclectic designs. In conclusion it's found out that the tombs reflecting strong revivalistic pecularities are some trustful coppies of special Armenian churches built in ancient times uihich were also the coppies of 10 th century. This attitude uas only a reflection of the longing for the brilliant period of Greater Armenia. Also the desire of "political power" of the 19 th century Armenians is sensed in their revivalistic architecture. Between the Armenian renaissance of the middle ages and the 19 th century Armenian revivalisme there is a strong political similarity. Certain eclectic copies are also present in structires which reflect properties of the architectural style of Western origin and which constitute the majority within the burial sites studied. It is understood that the ornamentations and lines copied directly from European architecture were applied without adding any personal interpretation. It is clearly apparent that no particular care was taken to harmonize the Western style and the characteristics of traditional Ottoman architecture in the approach adopted. The architectural concept adopted by the Balyan Family was based f undemantaly on the prenciple "to evaluate styles of Western origin within the context of Ottoman tradition" and was the most striking characteristic of their architectural style; was seen to be lacking in the tombs studied.