Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a limited number of people will again attend this year the liturgy offered every year at the Armenian Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island in the province of Van.
According to a report by Akunq.net, preparatory work for the liturgy, which is being organized for the 9th time, has already begun. Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez announced that during the liturgy scheduled for 5 September, only the delegation of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, which will consist of about 25 people, and a very limited number of individuals will be present in the church.
The source also recalled that the restoration of the church began in 2005 and ended in 2007, after which it was opened as a “monument-museum.” The first liturgy was offered there on 19 September 2010.
The governor of Van also stated that every kind of support is being provided to the Armenian Patriarchate for the liturgy. The liturgy ceremony will be broadcast live, but at most 50 people will be present inside the church.
