Tourism Information of Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran

Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran For those who think that no religion other than Islam is practiced in Iran visiting the Armenian Monastic Ensembles- pilgrimage places that depict religious traditions of Armenians through history can be a real surprise

The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran was the ninth World Heritage Site of Iran inscribed on the UNESCO List in 2008. These ensembles located in the north-west of Iran consist of three major churches: St. Thaddeus (Qara Kelisa), St. Stepanos and Dzordzor, as well as some other less important churches like Andre Verti church and Church of the Holy Mother of God 

The church of St. Thaddeus or Qara Kelisa is located near a village with the same name, in the south of MaKu City, in Chaldoran County West Azerbaijan Province. This world-famous church is one of the most esteemed and most beautiful Armenian churches. Elegance, proportion and beauty of the church along with the symbols used in its reliefs are unique in the Christian world. Some believe the reason that this church is called ‘Qara’ is that part of the church is black and in Turkish, ‘qara’ means black

Many believe that St. Thaddeus church is one of the earliest churches in the Christian world built on the tomb of St. Thaddeus, one of the Apostles of Jesus in 68 CE. Each year, in July, many Armenians from around the world come together at this place to commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of St. Thaddeus. On top of a height, 3 kilometers away from the church, there is a chapel that is the martyrdom place of “Sandoukht”, said to be the first Christian female martyr

The church of St. Stepanos built in 9th century is another monument inscribed on World Heritage List. This church is located near Aras River in the south of Jolfa, in East Azerbaijan Province. In addition to the architecture and decorations, magnificent seclusion and beautiful nature have doubled the charisma and grandeur of the church. In memory of Saint Stepanos (or Saint Stephen), the first deacon, this church has been named as St. Stepanos

Dzordzor church is the third famous church of The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran. It is located in West Azerbaijan Province, Macu County, and 12 kilometers north-west of Qara Kelisa. Some believe that this cross-shaped church was built in 1298