De kerk op Aktamar Eiland was sinds de dagen van de Armeense genocide gesloten. Na jaren van petitioneren hebben Armeniërs toestemming van de Turkse regering verkregen om daar eenmaal per jaar liturgische diensten te houden.
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Armenian Orthodox Archbishop Aram Atesyan presided as the Eucharist was celebrated for the first time in 95 years in a historic church on the island of Van, in eastern Turkey.
The church on Aktamar Island had been closed since the days of the Armenian genocide. After years of petitioning, Armenians have won permission from the Turkish government to hold liturgical services there once each year.
> After 95 years, Mass is celebrated in the Holy Cross Armenian Church, in Lake Van (AsiaNews)