ARMENIAN HERITAGE SITES IN TURKEY AND IRAN

ARMENIAN MONASTIC ENSEMBLES
OFIRAN
TheWestAzerbaijanProvinceinnorthwestIranhas
a fairly sizable Christian Armenian population, so
the number of churches in this area is no surprise.
The three monastic ensembles, St. Thaddeus (the
oldest dating back to the 7 th century), St. Stepanos,
and the Chapel of Dzordzor, were listed with
UNESCO in 2008. Their significance lies in their
architectural representation of the exchanges
between the regional cultures including Byzantine,
Orthodox, and Persian. The monasteries have
withstood numerous calamities, both human and
natural, throughout the centuries. St. Stepanos,
arguablythemostwell-knownofthethree,standsin
acanyonpastthetwistsandbendsoftheArasRiver
on the Azerbaijan border. These churches are still
placesofpilgrimagefortheArmeniancommunity.
MONASTERY OF SAINT THADDEUS
(THEBLACKCHURCHORKARAKELISA)
Legendhasitthatachurchdedicatedtohimwasfirst
builtonthepresentsiteinAD68.Itwasextensively
rebuiltafteranearthquakedamageditin1319.Some
ofthepartssurroundingthealtardatefromthe7 th c.
Muchofthepresentstructuredatesfrom1811,when
theQajarprinceAbbasMirzaaidedrenovationsand
repairs.
According to Armenian Church tradition, the
Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew traveled
through Armenia in AD 45 to preach the word of
God,wheremanypeoplewereconvertedand
numerous secret Christian communities were
established.
Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world's first
church and was constructed in 68 BC by one of the
apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus, who traveled to
Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach
theteachingsofChrist.
The church consists of two parts: a black structure
(the original structure was black, and Qara means
black in Turkish), and a white structure, the main
church, which was added to the original building’s
westernwingin1810.
THECHAPELOFCHUPAN
A small, historic Armenian church building in a
mountainvalleywestofJolfa,neartheArasRiverin
East Azerbaijan province, built in the 16 th century
andrebuiltin1836.
MONASTERYOFST.STEPANOS
Saint Stepanos Monastery is the second important
Armenian monastery in Iran after St Thaddeus
Monastery. The monastery was built in 9 th century
AD,butitwasseriouslydamagedbyearthquake. So,
it was refurbished in Safavid period. This monastery
is respected by all Christians and almost all other
religions. However, it actually belongs to Gregory
Christians (Followers of Gregory the Illuminator)
inhabitinginArmenia.
The church's architectural style is a mixture of
Urartan, Parthian, Greek, and Roman styles that
came to be known as Armenian subsequent to the
construction of the fantastic structures of
Echmiadzin, Thaddeus, Akhtmar, and indeed
Stephanos. Thischurch,whichhasfounditsplacein
the hearts of Christians throughout the world and is
visited annually by hundreds of Iranian and foreign
tourists, is located in the abandoned village of Dare
Sham,intheGechlartdistrict.