Özet:

Armenians, a native people of Anatolia, named part of Cappadocia extending from Kayseri to Sivas, from Kızılırmak to Tohma River as Kamirk. A settlement between Kayseri and Sivas was also called Kamirk, or Kamrag, and Armenians settled in numerous villages along Kızılırmak; they lived in this town called Gemerek during the Ottoman period until 1970s. The Armenian Church of Surp Sarkis stands in Çepni town of Gemerek district in the province of Sivas and today this cultural property is owned by Çepni Municipality. This church, the only monument of Christian architecture in Gemerek and environs, was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. Although Çepni has lost its Armenian population and the structure its original function it was not converted to a mosque. The repairs in the 1950s introduced some interventions but not altered its spatial arrangement. Then it was used for various purposes, particularly for school ceremonies; and it fell prey to the elements in time. As cultural awareness improved in the recent years the thought of restoring this church with a living place in public memory and giving it a new function came to the agenda. The joint work of the Faculty of Architecture of Erciyes University and the Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage reached no written sources. With regards to art history, this is the first scientific study on this church. The church, entirely of cut stones, has a three-aisled basilican and cruciform layout. Surviving in good condition in the countryside it stands out with its architecture reminiscent of the careful ones attested in wealthier cities like Istanbul, Sivrihisar and Kayseri in spite of its smaller size.

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