ISTANBUL (PanARMENIAN.Net) — With special permission from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Holy Cross Armenian Church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van was opened once again for a religious service, according to Anadolu Agency.
Clergy and pilgrims, who arrived in the city specifically for the ceremony, were transported to the island by boat.
Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak Mashalyan, his deputy Father Kaspar Karapetyan, and Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, who accompanied the clergy, held brief conversations with visitors.
“Pilgrims have come here from all corners of the world — from America, England, Europe, various parts of Anatolia, Istanbul, and especially from Armenia. Today, we commemorated our past at the 1,100-year-old Holy Cross Church of Akhtamar. We are grateful for this day and express our thanks to the state authorities for making this possible. Let our prayers bring peace from heaven to earth and to all humanity. Our hope is that the people of this region, who have suffered greatly, learn from the past and achieve peace, brotherhood, and unity today,” said Mashalyan.
Among the attendees were Abdurrahman Şahin, head of Van’s Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Police Chief Murat Mutlu, and Van Museum Director Bülent Demir.
Restoration of the Holy Cross Church began in 2005 under the initiative of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Since 2007, it has been open to visitors as a museum. Beginning in 2010, the church has opened once a year for liturgy, typically on the Sunday following the Feast of the Holy Cross in September.
