AKHTAMAR CHURCH IN TURKEY WILL OFFER MASS ONCE A YEAR
Tert.am
17:16 â~@¢ 25.03.10
Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay has approved
of a proposal by the state administration of the province of Van in
Eastern Turkey whereby once a year a liturgy can be offered in Sourp
Khatch Church (Saint Cross) located on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van.
Turkish press report that each year the church will be open for service
in the second half of September, considering it as an expression of
goodwill by Ankara after the signing of Armenia-Turkey Protocols.
There are no reports as to whether a cross will be placed on the dome
of Sourp Khatch — an inseparable aspect of Armenian churches.
After being reconstructed through funding by Turkish officials,
Akhtamar’s Sourp Khatch Church has been operating as a museum since
March 2007.