Monastery of Saint Thaddeus

Monastery of Saint Thaddeus

St. Thaddaeus Church or Qareh Kelisa, one of the churches inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located 20 km northeast of Chaldoran city next to a village with the same name.

Qareh Kelisa is known as one of the oldest churches in the world and is even considered to be the first church in the world by some archeologists. This church was built in the burial place of a Christian apostle; consequently, special ceremonies are held in this church every year in the last week of July and the first week of August, which coincide with the martyrdom of Thaddaeus. On the way to Qareh Kelisa, you come across this signpost "We sing the hymn of religious unity here"; the reason for which is the efforts made in this monastery for unity between different religions, so this church is also known as a symbol of the coexistence of religions. Qareh Kelisa has been repeatedly looted by those in power. The wars that took place in different historical periods such as Ilkhanid, Safavid and the wars between Iranians and Ottomans in this region caused deep wounds on the body of this building in a way that the walls of this building still bear bullet marks. The last repair of this building dates back to the time when the border between Iran and Armenia was separated by the Aras River.

Abbas Mirza, the successor of Fath Ali Shah at that time ordered to expand the church building, so an Armenian bishop came to Iran, rebuilt a large part of the church and added the white part to the church. In fact, at that time, by combining the old part (black church) with the new part (white church), he created a masterpiece of architecture. The interior walls of the black church are simple while the white church has benefited from many beauties, a contrast that enhances the beauty of this church. Numerous flower bushes along with the faces of Christian apostles, Jesus and Mary are among the images that can be seen in this church. Interestingly, in some of these decorations, you can also see illustrated stories from Shahnameh.

Monastery of Saint Thaddeus2

Qareh Kelisa Architecture

Qareh Kelisa consists of several parts like the main church, the bell tower, the entrance, the tower, the east courtyard, the west courtyard and the barn. Qareh Kelisa architecture includes two courtyards, as well as 47 rooms; each of which belonged to the monks, students, scholars, writers of the time, the church guards and the library. Other parts of the church are underground, including small dining areas, a kitchen, a mill, a crypt and other spaces on the west side. Moreover, if we look at the cross section of Thaddeus Church, the whole building is seen as a single building, and unlike the original Armenian temples, which are square in shape, this church is rectangular. The eastern part that includes the altar, the front yard of the altar and a small dome is made of black stone and is the only part that survived in 2012 earthquake.

Tags: West Azerbaijan Province, Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, West Azerbaijan Attractions, Churches in Iran , Christianity in Iran, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Iran Historical Attractions

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