Turkey's Catholic Armenian community held a religious service on Monday, August 14 in the western city of Izmir's St. John Cathedral Basilica, panarmenian.net reports.
The Mass bears importance for the community as it is the first time they were able to pray in the historic church in 95 years.
Rev. Vartan Kazanciyan from an Istanbul Armenian church presided over the religious service attended by some 150 people.
The basilica was among the properties returned to ethnic and religious minorities after decades of discriminatory state policies toward those minorities