Armenian community in Turkey rings bells of Surp Giragos Armenian Church

The Armenian community has rung the bells of Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir for the first time in 98 years to celebrate the Easter holiday. The bronze bell, which was built in Russia, was rung for the first time in almost a century. Kevork Calis, a member of the Sourp Giragos Church Foundation board of directors, said that the community failed to conduct a mass for Easter, because the Istanbul Patriarchate previously responded to a request to send priests to the church by telling the community that it would take a week for the religious official to arrive in Diyarbakir. As a result, no masses were held at the church, but the community prayed to celebrate the religious holiday and distributed colored eggs and pastries.