Controversy over cross grows amid church’s reopening
Arminfo
2007-03-23 20:40:00
In advance of the opening of the newly restored Armenian Akhtamar
Church on Lake Van, a new controversy has emerged in Ankara over
whether or not the church’s steeple should have a metal cross placed
on it, reports Zaman daily (Turkey).
Akhtamar Church has undergone restoration that was undertaken at the
behest of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Culture
and Tourism Atilla Koc. The church will be reopened to the public at a
special ceremony on March 29.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual leader of the Armenian
Orthodox community in Turkey, has sent a written request to the
Culture and Tourism Ministry asking that a cross, prepared by the
Armenian Patriarchate itself, be placed on the steeple of the Akhtamar
Church. The sentiments in the letter from Partriarch Mesrob are echoed
in a similar letter sent by a group of Armenian intellectuals and
artists to the ministry.
With no answer yet forthcoming regarding what is to be done about the
cross, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has reportedly sent letters
to the Foreign Ministry to obtain further views on the matter. Whether
or not the cross will be placed atop Akhtamar Church in advance of the
March 29 opening appears to depend on the views on this matter
expressed by authorities at the Foreign Ministry.
While the Ministry of Culture and Tourism intends for the
1,100-year-old church on Lake Van’s Akhtamar Island to be opened to
the public as a "museum," the Armenian community is pressing for the
church to be available for religious services. On the subject of the
placement of the metal cross atop the church, Patriarch Mesrob
references past photographs of the historical church as the reason why
the ministry should allow the cross to be placed there.
"A cross can be clearly seen on the steeple of the church in all old
photographs of it." The official name of the church also arises in the
content of Mesrob’s letter, with the patriarch referring to the church
as " Lake Van’s Agtamar Island Surp Hac Armenian Church."
Within this framework, the Armenian patriarch also suggests that
annual September Sacred Cross Festival be called the Agtamar Festival,
noting that this would have the additional advantage of drawing local
and foreign tourists to the area, with choral groups from Istanbul and
folkloric dancers from Van adding to the content of the festival.
The patriarch’s letter also focuses on the possible religious services
that might take place at Akhtamar Church during the Sacred Cross
Festival, explaining, "There could be a religious service in the
church’s old nave, followed by choral groups and folklore groups."
Patriarch Mesrob’s letter ends by noting that he is "praying to dear
Allah for the continued success" of the ministry’s restoration
efforts. In a separate letter on the subject, a group of Armenian
intellectuals and artists request that Akhtamar Church, which they
refer to as "Ahdamar Church," be turned over permanently to the
Armenian community in Turkey. They also note that a cross similar to
the one found on the church must be placed there again, and that even
if the church is not to be opened for religious services, the cross
must still be placed there as a part of restoration efforts.