Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery

Early 20th century photograph of Holy Apostles Monastery, where the battle took place.

Date	November 3–27, 1901
Location	Holy Apostles Monastery Mush, Ottoman Empire
Result	Armenian victory

Belligerents

Armenian fedayi

Ottoman Empire

Commanders and leaders

Andranik Ozanian
Kevork Chavush

Ferikh pasha
Ali pasha

Strength

22 (Andranik, Kevork, Haroutiun from Ouroukh, Vagharshag, Hajji Hagop, Ghazar, Seydo Boghos, Andrig, Missak, Vartan, Assadour, Simon, Terpetos Sarkis, Cheto, Yegho, Parsegh, Hovsep son of Oso, Chatalbash Aram, Megro from Khaskiugh, Moso, Iso, Mourad from Havadorig)
30–38

6,000

Casualties and losses

3 (Ghazar, Haroutiun and Parsegh)

33 (Turkish claim)
553 (according to Armenian eyewitnesses who were forced to supply food and clothing to the Turkish soldiers)

The Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery (Armenian: Առաքելոց վանքի կռիվը Ařak'elots vank'i křivë) was an armed conflict between Ottoman Empire's forces and the Armenian militia in Holy Apostles Monastery near Mush, Ottoman Empire in November 1901.

The Social Democrat Hunchakian Party and Armenian Revolutionary Federation were two Armenian organizations of Armenian national movement active in the region. In 1894, Sultan Abdul Hamid II began to target the Armenian people in a precursor of the Hamidian massacres. This persecution strengthened nationalistic sentiment among Armenians.

In 1899 several Armenian fedayee commanders were killed, and Andranik Ozanian was charged with the leadership of all the partisan sources in Sasun district, in Bitlis Vilayet. His name became famous. Under Andranik's command were thirty-eight villages.

While the Turkish forces relentlessly pursued the fedayeen on the plain of Mush, on November 20, 1901 Andranik came down from the mountains with 30 fedayees (Kevork Chavush, Hakob Kotoyan and others) and 8-10 peasants from Tsronk village, hardened in constant skirmishes, and barricaded himself in the Holy Apostles Monastery in the southern suburbs of Mush.

An entire regiment of five Turkish battalions, commanded by Ferikh and Ali pashas, besieged the well-fortified monastery. The Turkish generals leading the army of twelve hundred men asked the fedayees to negotiate their surrender. During this period the Turkish army had great losses because of cold weather and epidemics. After the nineteen days' resistance and long negotiations, in which Armenian clergy as well as the headman of Mush and foreign consuls took part, Andranik and his companions succeeded in leaving the Arakelots monastery and fleeing in small groups. According to Leon Trotsky, Andranik dressed in the uniform of a Turkish officer, "he went the rounds of the entire quard, talking to them in excellent Turkish", and "at the same time showing the way out to his own men".

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Wikipedia