SW News: Amid reports of the Armenian Christian minority facing discrimination in Turkey, there is some reason to cheer for the community as an Armenian church that was lying in a state of disrepair for more than a century has been refurbished and handed over to believers for worship. For the first time since 1915, Holy Mass was celebrated in the Uc Horan Church in Malatya city in Eastern Anatola on Sunday, August 29.

Last Saturday, the reopening ceremony of the church was held in the presence of Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Sahak Masalyan, Metropolitan Bishop Grigoriyos Melki Urek of Adiyaman, the deputy patriarch and local civil authorities. Armenians from across Turkey travelled to Malatya to take part in the celebration. The church, which was shut down in 1915, gradually fell into decay and was neglected for almost a century. But its prospects changed when a local Armenian cultural organization named 'Hayder' secured permission from the authorities to restore it to its former glory.

With the celebration of Holy Mass on Sunday, the church can now be used by the Armenian community for worship and for weddings and baptisms. During non-worship hours, the church will function as a cultural center. During the restoration process, the local administration also contributed public funds.
During the reopening ceremony, Patriarch Maşalyan called the event "a milestone for this region" and, for Armenians in particular, “a day of feast”.
Nuran Gezdirici, president of the Malatya Philanthropist Armenians Culture and Solidarity Association, said it was a matter of great pride for her in restoring the church, which Muslims call 'Tas Horan'.

She also paid glowing tributes to late journalist Hrant Dink, who was gunned down in front of the Istanbul office of Agos weekly in January 2007. Gezdirici said Dink grew up just two streets away from the church.