Ankara Officials reconsider: Cross will be placed on the roof of Holy Cross Church

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Culture and Tourism Ministry ends speculation about the historical Holy Cross Church on Akdamar Island in Van. Officials from the ministry say the church will be opened for prayer and a cross will be placed on the roof by September 2010.



The Armenian Church was renovated and opened as a museum in 2007 by former Culture Minister Atilla Koç; since then, debate has centered on whether a cross would be placed atop the building's dome and whether the church would once again be opened for prayer.



Buildings designated as museums are not allowed to host religious services under Turkish law.



Current Culture Minister Ertuğrul Günay has told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the ministry is making the final legal arrangements to allow the church to open for prayer once a year.



Last week, however, daily Milliyet and other Turkish newspapers announced that the ministry was no longer considering opening Surp Haç for prayer. The announcement naturally attracted the interest of Armenian media and the Armenian diaspora as well.



The Daily News spoke to ministry officials to get the latest developments about the historical church. Denying last week's news story, the officials said the church would be opened for prayer in September 2010 with a cross on the building's roof. According to the ministry sources, Milliyet's story was based on old information; in fact, they said, the legal preparations for opening the church to prayer are continuing rapidly.



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.