HISTORICAL CHURCH TO HOST 3RD DIVINE LITURGY
Hurriyet Daily News
Sept 7 2012
Turkey
Around 3,000 people attended the religious ceremony last year in
Van. AA photo
The historic Surp Hac (Holy Cross) Armenian Church-Museum, located on
the eastern province of Van’s Akdamar Island, will host a religious
ceremony for the third time with the Surp Hac (Holy Cross) liturgy
on Sept. 9.
Along with Archbishop Khajag Barsamian of the Eastern Diocese of the
Armenian Church of the United States, people from Istanbul, Armenia
and the diaspora are expected to attend the liturgy. Acting Patriarch
Archbishop Aram AteÅ~_yan will lead the ceremony on behalf of the
Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey. The preparations for the ceremony
have been continuing for the past month.
The historic church, which became a museum after being restored
in 2007, was opened for a religious service for the first time in
September 2010, when the Turkish government permitted Armenians to
organize a religious ceremony in the church once a year.
Last year’s divine liturgy attracted fewer worshipers due to tensions
between Turkey, Armenia and the diaspora over the lack of a cross
atop Sur Hac.
The cross, which was made by Armenian craftsmen and delivered to
Turkey’s Armenian Patriarchate two years ago, was placed on top of
the church dome with the approval of Turkey’s Culture Ministry just
after the liturgy last year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
Direct link to this article: https://www.armenianclub.com/2012/09/08/istanbul-historical-church-to-host-3rd-divine-liturgy/
