The Holy Liturgy was celebrated on 5 September at the Holy Cross Cathedral of Aghtamar.
Since the reopening of the Holy Cross Cathedral, the ceremony has become a tradition, and every year a delegation composed of members of the Brotherhood of Constantinople arrives in Van to mark the feast of the restored church of Aghtamar.
This year, the delegation arriving from Constantinople was headed by Fr. Tatul Anushyan, with a group of pilgrim brothers accompanying him.
Owing to circumstances, the number of faithful was again small this year, and the only Armenian worshipper (apart from the group arriving from Constantinople) was Gayane Kevorkyan, the sole Armenian resident of Van.
Kevorkyan, who expressed her feelings in a video, said that she is “very happy to hear Armenian prayers and wishes peace to the whole world.”
No information is reported regarding the absence of Patriarch Sahak II from this symbolic ceremony, but it is known that the Patriarch, who underwent a surgical operation and then departed for Malatya for the ceremony, is completing a period of recovery.
