Yerevan to host liturgy and protest action against mess in unconsecrated church on Akhtamar Island in Turkey

September 18, 2010 - 16:28 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On September 19, a liturgy and protest action against the Turkish “show” in Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island of Van will be organized in Yerevan, near the Armenian Genocide Memorial.

It was reported earlier that the liturgy will be organized in Van as per permission of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, despite promises, a cross will not be set on the church dome.

According to Chairman of Van Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zahir Kandasoglu, “a cross will definitely be set, but after the liturgy.” We would like to note that a mess in an unconsecrated church and without a cross on its dome is considered to be a sin in Christianity.

According to Advisor of the Turkish Ministry of Culture Ismet Yilmaz, an Italian specialist rehabilitated the dome of Holy Cross Church so that it is impossible to set a cross on it. “A cross was delivered to Van to obtain permission for its placement. But it is over 2m-high and weighs around 200kg. If it is set, the dome will ruin. We are going to invite specialists again to create a possibility cross placement,” he said.

Experts state that Turkey is inventing a range of tricks to prevent rehabilitation of a normal Armenian church. According to Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RA National Academy of Sciences, turkologist Ruben Safrastyan said that the Shariah laws, by which the Turkish leadership is unofficially guided, do not allow setting a cross on churches.

The action in Yerevan is initiated by the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute. A PanARMENIAN.Net reporter was told that the liturgy will be conducted by a priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church, but the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has not decided yet who will administer the divine service. Representatives of the Armenian traditional parties, clergy and public activists will participate in the liturgy and protest action.

The first liturgy in 95 years will be served in Holy Cross Church on September 19. Despite promises, Turkish authorities disallowed placement of a cross on the dome of the church. The Holy Sees of Cilicia and Etchmiadzin, Jerusalem Patriarchy, as well as a number of Diaspora organizations refused to participate in the ceremony.

Only the Armenian community of Istanbul expressed its wish to participate in the liturgy in Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island. And the mass will be held by the coadjutor of Constantinople Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan.

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.