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TURKEY: ARMENIANS CELEBRATE BAPTISMS IN SYMBOLIC CHURCH
News from Elsewhere... ...as found by BBC Monitoring Armenian pilgrims
travel great distances for the annual service
The first christenings in nearly a century have taken place in a
symbolically important Armenian church in Turkey, it's been reported
A crowd of more than 1,000 pilgrims gathered at the Church of the
Holy Cross on Aghtamar Island in eastern Turkey's Lake Van to see
two adults and three children being baptised, the Armenian Weekly
news website reported.
Among those taking part in the first baptisms in the church since 1915
was a woman whose family had been forcibly converted to Islam following
the mass expulsions and killings of Armenians during World War I by
the Ottoman authorities (see the BBC's Armenia profile timeline).
Highlighting long-standing divisions between the communities, a small
crowd of Turkish protesters were kept away by a substantial police
presence. One pilgrim who had travelled from Australia was in no doubt
where this particular part of Turkish territory lay: "This was a dream
for us. We have all been to Armenia, but not this part of Armenia."
While there are other Armenian religious buildings in Turkey, the
1,100-year-old church at Aghtamar is of particular historical and
cultural significance. The Turkish government restored the building
as a museum after years of vandalism and disuse, and in 2010 allowed
an annual service to be held which attracts Armenian pilgrims from
around the world.
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-24046613
From: Baghdasarian
News from Elsewhere... ...as found by BBC Monitoring Armenian pilgrims
travel great distances for the annual service
The first christenings in nearly a century have taken place in a
symbolically important Armenian church in Turkey, it's been reported
A crowd of more than 1,000 pilgrims gathered at the Church of the
Holy Cross on Aghtamar Island in eastern Turkey's Lake Van to see
two adults and three children being baptised, the Armenian Weekly
news website reported.
Among those taking part in the first baptisms in the church since 1915
was a woman whose family had been forcibly converted to Islam following
the mass expulsions and killings of Armenians during World War I by
the Ottoman authorities (see the BBC's Armenia profile timeline).
Highlighting long-standing divisions between the communities, a small
crowd of Turkish protesters were kept away by a substantial police
presence. One pilgrim who had travelled from Australia was in no doubt
where this particular part of Turkish territory lay: "This was a dream
for us. We have all been to Armenia, but not this part of Armenia."
While there are other Armenian religious buildings in Turkey, the
1,100-year-old church at Aghtamar is of particular historical and
cultural significance. The Turkish government restored the building
as a museum after years of vandalism and disuse, and in 2010 allowed
an annual service to be held which attracts Armenian pilgrims from
around the world.
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-24046613
From: Baghdasarian