On Sept. 19, thousands of Armenians from all over the world gathered on Lake Van’s Aghtamar Island, where \u2014 after 95 years \u2014 a Divine Liturgy took place in the Holy Cross Armenian Church found on the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The heavy, metal cross, which had been much talked about lately, was placed outside of the church. Dozens of Armenians approached the cross, kissed it, weeped and prayed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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For those who were physically unable to enter the church, the mass was broadcast on a large screen outside the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The liturgy, which was delivered by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople representative, Archbishop Aram Ateshyan, took approximately two hours.<\/p>\n
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Archbishop Ateshyan, addressing the congregation, said that the liturgy was extremely important and it’s necessary to preserve the Holy Cross Church and pass it on to future generations.<\/p>\n
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He also thanked the Republic of Turkey for renovating and preserving the church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Note that in accordance with a decision by Turkey’s Ministry of Culture, a Divine Liturgy will take place in Holy Cross once every year, and the cross will be placed on the church’s dome after the necessary work has been carried out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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