Istanbul Armenian cemetery returned to community members

The Armenian Catholic Cemetery of Istanbul has been returned to the local Armenians after 82 years’ interval, Haberturk reports.

The director of the Catholic Church St. Hakob, Bernard Saribay, has praised the Turkish authorities decision.

The ownership certificate of the cemetery (which has a total area 40,500 sq. m.) has been given to the community members. The territory served as a place of burials for the catholic Armenians from 1830 until 1930. It was later placed under the authority of the Istanbul city hall, but the funerals there continued to date.