On December 9, the ARF Providence, Rhode Island, Gomideh (committee) presents “Sourp Giragos: The Church That Withstood Time,” a presentation on the revival of the Armenian church in Diyarbakir, Turkey

Featuring speakers George Aghjayan and Khatchig Mouradian, The Armenian Weekly reported.

Armenians from around the world flocked to Sourp Giragos Church on Oct. 22 to attend both the consecration of the largest Armenian church in the Middle East and the Badarak (liturgy) held the following day.

Between Nov. 11-13, Diyarbakir hosted a groundbreaking workshop on the social and economic history of the city and its surrounding areas from 1838 to 1938, tackling head-on the fate of the region’s vibrant Christian minorities and its dark past of confronting genocide.

More than 100,000 Armenians lived in the Diyarbakir province in 1914. Although mostly peasants living in villages like Palu and Lice, the majority of the tradesmen in the province were also Armenian. In turn, Armenian craftsmen and artisans constituted a significant presence in the province. Aghjayan and Mouradian were there to witness the opening of the church and took part in the academic conference to follow. They will be sharing their experiences with the community at this presentation.