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IRAN'S QARA KELISA TO HOST ARMENIAN PILGRIMS
Payvand
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jul/1144.html
July 16 2012
Iran
Source: Press TV
Iran's Qara Kelisa will honor the memory of Saint Thaddeus and his
faithful followers during a ceremony in the northern province of
West Azarbaijan.
Scores of Armenians, Assyrians and Catholics from Iran and other
countries will attend the annual event as part of their pilgrimage
on the Day of St. Thaddeus.
The ceremony is known as one of the largest religious ceremonies held
by Armenians, CHTN reported.
Qara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, is one of the
oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that
carries great significance for the country's Armenian Orthodox
community.
Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world's first church and was
constructed in 68 CE by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus,
who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach
the teachings of Christ.
Qara Kelisa, which literally means Black Church, has been registered
as the ninth Iranian historical-cultural heritage site on the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO)
World Heritage List.
The church is composed of two parts: a black structure, the original
building of the church from which it takes its name and a white
structure, the main church, which was added to the original building's
western wing in 1810 CE.
An ancient chapel two kilometers northwest of the church is said
to have been the place where the first Christian woman, Sandokh,
was martyred. The chapel is believed to be as old as Qara Kelisa.
The structure was inscribed along with two other monastic ensembles
of the Armenian Christian faith namely St. Stepanos and the Chapel
of Dzordzor.
Payvand
http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jul/1144.html
July 16 2012
Iran
Source: Press TV
Iran's Qara Kelisa will honor the memory of Saint Thaddeus and his
faithful followers during a ceremony in the northern province of
West Azarbaijan.
Scores of Armenians, Assyrians and Catholics from Iran and other
countries will attend the annual event as part of their pilgrimage
on the Day of St. Thaddeus.
The ceremony is known as one of the largest religious ceremonies held
by Armenians, CHTN reported.
Qara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, is one of the
oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that
carries great significance for the country's Armenian Orthodox
community.
Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world's first church and was
constructed in 68 CE by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus,
who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach
the teachings of Christ.
Qara Kelisa, which literally means Black Church, has been registered
as the ninth Iranian historical-cultural heritage site on the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO)
World Heritage List.
The church is composed of two parts: a black structure, the original
building of the church from which it takes its name and a white
structure, the main church, which was added to the original building's
western wing in 1810 CE.
An ancient chapel two kilometers northwest of the church is said
to have been the place where the first Christian woman, Sandokh,
was martyred. The chapel is believed to be as old as Qara Kelisa.
The structure was inscribed along with two other monastic ensembles
of the Armenian Christian faith namely St. Stepanos and the Chapel
of Dzordzor.