SPECULATION ENDS ON VAN’S HOLY CROSS CHURCH
Hurriyet
n.php?n=speculations-on-holy-cross-church-of-van-h as-ended-2010-01-22
Jan 22 2010
Turkey
The Culture and Tourism Ministry ends speculation about the historical
Surp Hac (Holy Cross) Church on Akdamar Island in Van. Officials from
the ministry say the church will be opened for prayer and a cross
will be placed on the roof by September 2010
Renovation of the historical Surp Hac (Holy Cross) Church on Akdamar
Island in the eastern district of Van helped begin the normalization
process between Turkey and Armenia, but the church remains a topic
of considerable debate.
The Armenian church was renovated and opened as a museum in 2007 by
former Culture Minister Atilla Koc; since then, debate has centered on
whether a cross would be placed atop the building’s dome and whether
the church would once again be opened for prayer.
Buildings designated as museums are not allowed to host religious
services under Turkish law.
Current Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay has told the Hurriyet Daily
News & Economic Review that the ministry is making the final legal
arrangements to allow the church to open for prayer once a year.
Last week, however, daily Milliyet and other Turkish newspapers
announced that the ministry was no longer considering opening Surp
Hac for prayer. The announcement naturally attracted the interest of
Armenian media and the Armenian diaspora as well.
‘The information is old; preparations are at the final level’
The Daily News spoke to ministry officials to get the latest
developments about the historical church. Denying last week’s news
story, the officials said the church would be opened for prayer in
September 2010 with a cross on the building’s roof. According to
the ministry sources, Milliyet’s story was based on old information;
in fact, they said, the legal preparations for opening the church to
prayer are continuing rapidly.
Disappointment caused by museum status
Gunay said there are obstacles to churches in addition to Surp Hac
being opened for prayer, adding that the ministry is handling the
legal arrangements very carefully to prevent similar difficulties in
the future.
The church has symbolic importance in the normalization process
between Turkey and Armenia. Although it is commonly believed that
Armenian-Turkish dialogue began with the World Cup Qualifier between
the two countries’ national teams in 2008, the actual process began
with the initial renovation of Surp Hac.
Former minister Koc contacted Gagik Gurciyan, the deputy culture
minister of Armenia at that time, to provide experts from Armenia
to come to Turkey to inspect the church. Despite the closed borders
between the two countries, Turkish and Armenian experts have engaged
in a coordinated effort aimed at restoring Surp Hac.
Leaving the church without a cross and opening it as a museum,
however, disappointed the Armenian world. During the restoration,
a replica of the original cross was prepared by experts according
to the traditions of the Apostolic Church. That cross was brought to
Istanbul and delivered to Mesrop II, patriarch of Turkish Armenians.
The cross is still at the Istanbul patriarchate, waiting to be placed
atop Surp Hac.