St. Thaddeus Monastery, Armenian Apostolic Church in Iran

Armenians believe Qara Kelissa or St. Thaddeus Church was the first church constructed in the world at the orders of evangelists and apostles of Jesus and since from religious point of view they consider martyrdom the highest of salvations for humanity, every year a special service is held at Qara Kelissa in the second half of July which coincides with the murder of Saint Thaddi and his Christian followers.

In Turkish, Qara means black and the church was called so because a part of it was black. Apparently the main building of the church was built entirely of black stones but after reconstruction part of the stones was replaced by white ones. This was most probably done intentionally so that future generations would be informed of the original shape and façade of the church.

Photo : Mauro Sorrenti

The church was destroyed and reconstructed at different eras for different reasons. A great part of the church was destroyed in the year 1230 (616 Lunar Hejira) during the attack of Genghis Khan.

When Hulagu Khan was residing in Azarbaijan, Khaje Nassireddin Toosi embarked on its reconstruction.

Photo Mauro Sorrenti

The main church, built in 1811-1820 is a massive structure, built of light sandstone and adorned with blind arches and decorative and geometric shapes.

Statues of angels adorn the front facade of the church and its northern and southern facades are decorated with dark-colored stone crucifixes.

Photo: Mauro Sorrenti

The church was destroyed as a result of an earthquake in 1319 and there is a document showing it was rehabilitated by Saint Zachary in 1329. The church was repaired in 1691 with black stones, in 1810 with white stones by Maku archbishop, Simon Beznoni and during the Qajar era by Abbas Mirza.

Qara Kelissa enjoys specific Armenian architecture and is considered one of the most valuable historical monuments of the country in terms of technique and volume. The building is world famous and a great number of Armenians from inside and outside the country come to the church to hold religious rituals.

Anyway, the church is annually the gathering place of Armenians of Iran and even neighboring countries on the occasion of an annual ceremony. On the week beginning July 22, Armenians from the cities of Tabriz, Uremia, Tehran, Isfahan, Qazvin, and… converge at Qara Kelissa church in groups or as a family.

Photo Mauro Sorrenti

In addition to Armenians, Assyrians and rarely Catholic families take part in the ceremony. One of the rituals held during the three-day pilgrimage is the baptism of Armenian children and youngsters because some believe baptism of their children at the first church of Jesus Christ and the martyrdom site of his apostles will bring blessings. Some parents also baptize their children with some vows and pledges and for this reason the age of those being baptized sometimes reaches 15 to 20.

Photo by Nicola e Pina

The Saint Thaddeus Monastery was registered as the ninth historical-cultural heritage of Iran.

Religious Tourism

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