A group of Turk convicts have visited the Saint Kirakos Armenian Church as part of the “Training for Stone Masters” held at the initiative of the Digle (Tigris) University of Diyarbekir, which is the center of the Kurdish-populated region of Turkey.

As reported by “ArmenPress”, citing the Turkish Haberler.com, the convicts sentenced at the open jailhouse in Diyarbekir had the chance to improve their theoretical knowledge at the Armenian church.

At the church, the convicts were introduced to the history of the renovation of the church. One of the students of the university, Adnan Nabikoglu said the convicts had been shown photos of the church during the theoretical lessons. Being at the Saint Kirakos Armenian Church provided the convicts with the wonderful opportunity to see the stones and the structure of the church with their own eyes. In the end, the convicts expressed their satisfaction with the visit.

The Saint Kirakos Armenian Church of Diyarbekir is the largest Christian church in the Near East. After a 32-year interval, the first church ritual was held after the renovation on November 4, 2012.

On the same day, the first wedding ceremony was held at the church. The Saint Kirakos Armenian Church was renovated with financial assistance provided by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople and with the support of Diyarbekir Municipality. The belfry of the church was rebuilt after having been damaged from the bombing that took place in 1915.

The dome of the church was the highest in the city, and the Muslims had destroyed it in order for it not to be higher than the minarets of mosques.

Although the Saint Kirakos Church had been open until 1980, the bells were rung again on November 4, 2012.

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