Ecclesiastical ceremony in Surb Khach Armenian church is another show of Turkey

July 21, 2010 - 17:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, historian Hayk Demoyan said that the ecclesiastical ceremony due September 19 in Surb Khach Armenian Church on Akhtamar island is another show of Turkey.

The Turkish authorities, who have not set a cross on the church yet, continue violating provisions of the Treaty of Lausanne signed in 1923, Demoyan told a press conference in Yerevan.

“Surb Arakelots Armenian temple of the 10th century has been transferred into a mosque. I would prefer the Turkish authorities to restore this temple instead of organizing an ecclesiastical ceremony in Surb Khach church,” said Demoyan. He added that it would be right if Armenia refrains from sending an official delegation for participation in the ceremony in Surb Khach church.

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.