MIDDLE EAST HISTORY POLITICS CULTURE XIII MIDDLE EAST XIII | Page 106

IRMA KHOSITASHVILI
(GNCM)
ON THE ROBBERY OF HOLY VIRGIN`S CHURCH
ACCORDING TO JACOB OF KARIN (17 TH C.)
Armenian author Jacob of Karin (17 th c.) has written several compo-
sitions. Among them is the story of robbery of Holy Virgin`s church in Karin.
The author is the eyewitness of the events happening in the story therefore,
the socio-political picture of Ottoman Empire drawn in this composition
bears much importance and credibility.
As Jacob of Karin writes, it happened in the times of the Sultan of the
Ottoman Empire Mehmed IV (1648-1687). Among the several events
described in detail, there are some interesting aspects worth to mention. For
the reason of the Armenian Church robbery in Ottoman Empire the
Armenian community makes complaints. The complaints were rejected by
the local Turkish cleric. On the contrary, it even motivated robbers. Despite
such unfair bearing Armenian community and clergy do not give up and go
to supreme leader of the Empire to judge, unearth truth and execute justice.
As Jacob writes in his another composition “Beautifully Built City of Karin”,
Ottomans had supreme justice in their empire, unlike Christians and Hebrews
who were always opposite to their leader. So, here, in this case also, the
supreme leader of the empire helps the community, executes justice, put to
death robbers and do not takes any present from thankful Armenians.
This is a story of victory of good over evil, story of justice and about
Christians and Muslims living together in peace. That is reason why this story
was so pleasing and important to tell others, so, they used to write it as a
separate narrative and give from generation to generation.
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