The foundation of St. Giragos (Surp Giragos) Armenian Church, which is located in Sur district of Turkey’s primarily Kurdish-populated Diyarbakır city, is going to file a petition with the court that the decision to expropriate the church be declared null and void.

According to the Turkish Council of Ministers’ decision, all structures in Sur district, including St. Giragos Church, were expropriated for “protection,” recalled Agos Armenian bilingual weekly of Istanbul.

Attorneys of the Assyrian and Protestant churches in Sur have already appealed to court, arguing that these churches are the properties of their foundations, and therefore they should not have been nationalized.

St. Giragos, which is one of the largest churches in the Middle East, reopened as a functioning church in October 2011.

It was renovated with co-funding by Diyarbakır Armenians throughout the world, and Diyarbakır City Hall.