Surb Khach Armenian Church has become Ankara’s basic propagandistic weapon

July 23, 2010 - 14:54 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkologist Ruben Melkonyan said that Surb Khach Armenian church of Akhtamar island has become Ankara’s basic propagandistic weapon.

Surb Khach church is registered in Turkey as a museum-monument, what excludes the possibility of setting a cross on it, Melkonyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

“Turkey displays its peacefulness to the world, through destroying thousands of Armenian churches, temples and cultural monuments and restoring only one church. This policy fits in the propagandistic arsenal of the Turkish diplomacy. They want to gain certain concessions from Armenia through it,” concluded the expert.

Holy Cross Church

The 300-seat Holy Cross Church, located on a small island in the middle of Lake Van in eastern Turkey, is in many ways a symbol of the country's Armenian community. The church was built between 915 and 921 during the reign of Armenian King Gagik I of Vaspurakan and was one of the most important religious buildings in the region. The church, whose sandstone walls and dome are adorned with carvings of Jesus Christ and David and Goliath, is considered one of the greatest examples of Armenian architecture of the period, and an inspiration for the Gothic style that later developed in Europe, according to the New York-based Landmarks Foundation, which has advised on the church's restoration. By the end of last century, the church was falling apart due to the heavy rains and winds that swept across the lake.

Following its restoration and reopening in 2007 Holy Cross Church was operating as a museum.