The story of Armenian Cathedral of the Holy Cross

On 25 June 1951 the demolition of this church had already begun, until a young journalist named Yaşar Kemal happened to hear of it, reported it, and the work was stopped. Standing on Akdamar Island in Lake Van, the church was built in 915-921 by the architect Manuel on the orders of King Gagik I. Its purpose was to house a piece of the True Cross, which, according to tradition, was brought to the Van area in the 7th century after being carried off from Jerusalem to Iran.

Look closely at the red andesite walls: low reliefs of plants, animals and scenes from the Bible wrap around the exterior. Left neglected for decades, the church was restored in 2005-2007 at a cost of 1.5 million dollars and reopened as a museum on 29 March 2007. On 19 September 2010 a liturgy was held here for the first time in 95 years; today one takes place once a year by special permission.