Priests pursue historic door with Virgin Mary figure

SAMSUN

A 74-year-old blacksmith from the northern province of Samsun, İbrahim Germi, has steadfastly refused to sell a 158-year-old historic iron door with a Virgin Mary figure, despite offers from priests and antique collectors.

Germi, who has been in the blacksmithing trade for 58 years, owns the certified historic door, which features an intricate Virgin Mary motif and a unique dual-panel design. The door, crafted without welding through a dovetail method by Armenian artisans, has attracted significant attention.

However, Germi has declined all offers, choosing to preserve it in his workshop on Demirciler Yokuşu. Passed down through generations, the door is believed to have originated from Germi’s grandfather’s estate.

“I won’t sell this one-of-a-kind door,” he said.

Germi revealed that he was even offered unlimited travel and accommodation abroad in exchange for donating the doors to a church.

“I have been in this profession since elementary school. Blacksmithing is our family trade. I am the oldest active blacksmith in Samsun. I still forge iron on the same anvil passed down from my grandfather to my father, then to me. It has sentimental and monetary value, but I am certain it will end up with a scrap dealer after I am gone,” he lamented.

The doors, certified as historical artifacts, weigh 150 kilograms each. “The Virgin Mary figure is visible on one door, and its lock, crafted years ago, still functions. The Armenian blacksmith who made it used a dovetail technique with no welding. Normal craftsmen today couldn’t create the door frame in less than a year. It’s entirely made of riveted and dovetailed pieces. The mechanism still works, but the brass handle was stolen before it came into my possession because someone mistook it for gold,” Germi added.

He recalled a visit from a priest of the Mater Dolorosa Catholic Church, who photographed the door and examined the Virgin Mary figures. Despite repeated offers to buy the doors for the church, Germi declined. “They offered me money and other benefits, but I refused. I told them, ‘If you want to put it at the church door, it can stay here.’ This door has no equal,” he said.

Germi emphasized that he is the last practicing blacksmith in Samsun. “Blacksmithing is a dying trade. No apprentices are being trained anymore. After I am gone, there won’t be anyone in Samsun to take over. People won’t even find someone to sharpen their axes. Blacksmithing and repair work will be lost, forcing people to buy new tools instead of repairing the old ones. I am the only blacksmith left in Samsun who still repairs tools,” he concluded.