The Armenian Church located on Akdamar Island in Lake Van in Turkey’s Van province was opened to worshippers for a single day.
Sunday’s ritual, directed by Archbishop Aram Atesyan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, lasted 2 hours.
Hundreds of Christians arrived at Akdamar to attend today’s mass, as only 50 protocol members could be allowed in the church due to lack of space inside the historical building. Guests watched the ceremony via two giant screens built-up in the church’s garden. High-level officials, diplomats, journalists, Armenian community members and officials from Germany, France, several other European countries and USA attended the ceremony.
