Damascus, SANA – Prayers were held on Friday at the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Damascus in Bab Sharqi area in Damascus to mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide carried out by the Ottomans which claimed the lives of over 1.5 million people.
Armenian Orthodox Bishop of Damascus Armash Nalbandian presided upon the prayers along with Armenian Catholic Bishop of Damascus Jospeh Arnaouti, and the prayers were followed by a candle procession from the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Square in Bab Sharqi to the Armenian Catholic Diocese in Bab Touma area.
Also marking this occasion, mass will be held at St. Serkis Church for the Armenian Orthodox in Bab Sharqi and Sultanat al-Alam Church for the Armenian Catholic in Bab Touma on Sunday, in addition to an event dedicated to the people of Syria at the Opera House.
The Armenian Genocide, carried out between 1915 and 1923, involved acts of murder, slaughter, and genocide against the Armenian people. In April 23 2015, Armenia canonized the 1.5 million victims of the genocide as saints, and three days later on the 26th of April the foundation stone for the monument dedicated to these victims was laid down in the square in Damascus which is named after them.
Hazem Sabbagh