July 12, 2013 | 00:04
Once the military left, the Armenian Saint Bartholomew Church, which is located in the Baskale region of Turkey’s Van Province and which was abandoned after 1915, has opened for visits.
Along the lines of the settlement of the Kurdish issue, the military unit, which was stationed in Albayrak village, was removed from the village, Anadolu News Agency of Turkey reports. As a result, the church opened for visitors. In the past, visits to this church were prohibited because it was located in a military zone.
Muzaffer Aktug, Head of the Van Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, noted that the church, which was built in the 3rd century, has opened for visitors, but it needs a restoration because it was left uncared for numerous years. He stressed that respective work is carried out to restore the church.
To note, however, none of the Turkish media that covered this news mentioned that the Saint Bartholomew Church is Armenian.