Armenian church of St. Giragos, located in Sur district of Turkey’s Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır province, has been expropriated pursuant to the decision of the Council of Ministers.
Turkey expropriates Armenian St. Giragos church in Diyarbakır
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 29, ARTSAKHPRESS: Although the ban to go out to the street is still underway, the country’s Cabinet has made a decision to urgently expropriate all the buildings in Sur district, Istanbul-based Armenian “Agos”newspaper reports.
In connection with this, Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality Cultural Heritage Director told Agos that the state has expropriated the property belonging to both Armenian and other national minorities and those belonging to the municipality. She also insisted that the Armenians should institute legal action against such an illegal decision.
St Giragos, one of the largest Armenian churches in the Middle East, was reopened and consecrated on 22 October, 2011. A day later, on October 23, the church served its first liturgy.
The church was restored with the support of Diyarbakır Armenians and local municipality.
St. Giragos was opened as an operating church.
