Turkish culture and tourism minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy will attend the divine liturgy at the Holy Cross Armenian church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van, Turkey, on September 9.
The island is preparing to host the liturgy after a three-year break, Turkiyeturizm website reported.
The hotels on the island are fully booked, and the local authorities said all state agencies are ready to ensure that the liturgy is held at the proper level. reported by Armenia News
The church was restored by the Turkish government funding, and in 2007, it opened as a museum.
Subsequently, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople (Istanbul) petitioned to the Turkish government to get permission for offering Divine Liturgy at this church once a year.
In March 2010, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism announced that the permission was granted to offer church service there and install a cross on the dome of this church.
In 2015, however, the patriarchate decided to cancel that year’s Divine Liturgy at this church, and due to the terrorist attacks in the area.
And afterward, the Turkish authorities suspended the holding of religious rituals at this church.
This matter is reflected also on the International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 of the US Department of State.
The Iranians, who visit Turkey’s eastern provinces during Newroz—the Persian new year—, most visit Akhtamar Island in Lake Van—and where the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross is located—, and the Fortress of Van.