Akhtamar’s Armenian church to host annual liturgy on Sept. 5
The annual Divine Liturgy at Surb Khach (Holy Cross) Armenian Church on Akhtamar Island in Lake Van will be held on September 5.
The preparations for the liturgy at the Armenian church have already been completed, Ermenihaber reported, citing the Van governor's office.
This year’s mass will be held with limited participation due to the coronavirus pandemic, with only a small number of guests set to attend it. The church will be closed to visitors between 9am and 12pm.
Religious services resumed in the church in 2010 after a 95-year hiatus.
The church was built between 915 and 921 A.D. by architect Bishop Manuel under the sponsorship of King Gagik I Artsruni. It was added to UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage in 2015.
Surb Khach was abandoned after the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Believed to have been constructed to house a piece of the “True Cross,” which was used in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the church was restored in 2005 and opened in 2007. The church is usually open to visitors as a museum.