Liturgy in Armenian Holy Trinity Church in Malatya held for the first time since the Genocide of 1915
For the first time in 106 years,Christians have been able to attend a religious service in the Armenian Trinity Church in Malatya, Turkey. The church had been closed for community use since the genocide of 1915, ANF news reported. The liturgy was presided by the Sahak Mashalyan, the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey.
The homily was delivered in Armenian and Turkish. About 150 participants came from different cities. Among them were members of the Syriac community.
Sahak Mashalyan and Grigoriyos Melki Urek, the Metropolitan Bishop of Adıyaman and surrounding provinces and the Deputy Patriarch, as well as the mayor and governor of Malatya, attended the opening ceremony.
Built in the second half of the 18th century, the church had been closed for congregational use since the 1915 Young Turk genocide of Armenians and other Christian communities and subsequently fell into ruin, the source reminded. It was not until 2013 that restoration work began, sponsored by the Malatya-based HAY-DER Association.