The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople has issued a statement informing that this year’s Divine Liturgy at the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, on the island of Akhtamar in Turkey’s Lake Van, and which was slated for September 6, has been canceled.

The statement of the patriarchate noted that considering the recent terrorist attacks nearby the area, the Armenians’ traditional pilgrimage to Van has been postponed so as not to create security issues for Van city and its environs, informed the website of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Armenian Church of the Holy Cross on the island of Akhtamar was built between 915 and 921. Several years ago, the church was restored with funding by the Turkish government and opened as a museum. And since 2010, religious service was allowed to be performed at the church once a year.