5 Iranian Churches Put Up for UNESCO Registration

Cultural Heritage News, Iran
Jan 23 2007

Photo: St. Thaddeus Church or Qara Kelisa (Black Church) Iran’s
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) completed the file
of Qara Kelisa alongside four other Iranian churches to be submitted
to UNESCO for world registration.

Tehran, 23 January 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) — In an attempt to inscribe
ancient Iranian churches in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in
2008, experts of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization
(ICHTO) have prepared a dossier on St. Thaddeus Cathedral also
known as Qara Kelisa (The Black Church) in West Azarbaijan province,
alongside 4 other churches including Saint Stepanos in Khoy, Zoorzoor
in Chaldoran, Choopan and Mary Darehsham to be submitted to UNEESCO
next week for further studies.

Announcing this news, Mohammad Hassan Khademzadeh, expert of ICHTO and
director of the mega project for documenting the file of Qareh Kelisa
and its adjacent historic monument, said: "The files of these five
churches have been completed and will be submitted to UNESCO’s World
Heritage Committee within two days and the committee will announce
its final decision on these files in April 2007."

If the files win UNESCO’s approval, the International Council on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will dispatch a team of experts to
Iran to make a visit to these monuments and prepare a report on
their conditions.

Qara Kelisa had previously been nominated by Iran for UNESCO world
registration in 2007; however, the file was rejected due to lack of
substantial documents.

If UNESCO agrees with putting Qara Kelisa in its list of World Heritage
Sites, Qara Kelisa would be the ninth Iranian monument in this list
and the four other churches alongside Ziaolmolk Bridge and Khajeh
Caravanserai would be as annexes to St. Thaddeus Cathedral after
its registration.

The St. Thaddeus Church, locally known as Qara Kelisa or the Black
Church, is considered one of the oldest churches in the world, whose
construction began 1700 years ago. Historians believe that the Church
is the tomb of Thaddeus who is said to have been one of Christ’s
disciples who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire,
for preaching the teachings of Christ.

This church has a worldwide reputation among the Armenian Christians
of the world and every year a large number of Armenians come to this
church for performing religious rituals.

Soudabeh Sadigh foreigndesk@chn.ir

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress