Zafer Yoruk: an annual liturgy in Holy Cross church is better than none at all

September 4, 2010 - 15:48 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Permission to conduct a liturgy in Akhtamar's Holy Cross church in Turkey was a result of a lengthy struggle. An annual liturgy in Holy Cross church is better than none at all, said Zafer Yoruk, Lecturer of Media and Politics at Izmir University of Economics.

As he noted at September 4 news conference in Yerevan, the Christian holy mass to be conducted has come as a result of a struggle against 90-year-long policy of negation. Despite the Treaty of Lausanne stipulation on respecting the right of religious freedom, Turkey is not observing it, Yoruk noted. However, he characterized the opening of Akhtamar's Holy Cross and Greek church in Trabzon as the first steps towards the Treaty implementation.

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.