Akhtamar Church in Turkey will Offer Mass Once a Year

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertuğrul Günay 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.