ARMENIAN ARTISTS FROM IRAN TO PRESENT THEIR WORKS AT QARA KELISA
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
23.06.2009 01:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iran’s West-Azarbaijan Province is to hold an
exhibition at Qara Kelisa, presenting artifacts created by the
country’s Armenian artists.
The event, to be held from July 22 to 26, will display various forms
of handicrafts and artistic creations on the theme of "church",
chnpress reports.
Organized by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism office in
West-Azarbaijan Province, the exhibition will commemorate the martyrdom
of one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus, who constructed Qara
Kelisa (Black Church) in 68 CE.
Every year scores of Armenians, Assyrians and Catholics from Iran
and other countries visit the church to commemorate the martyrdom of
Saint Thaddeus and his followers.
Perched on a mountain ridge south of the city of Maku, Qara Kelisa
is one of the oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments
of Iran and carries great significance for the country’s Armenian
Orthodox community, presstv.com reported.
Armenians believe the church is the world’s first church and was
constructed by Saint Thaddeus, after he traveled to Armenia, then
part of the Persian Empire, to preach the teachings of Christ.
Qara Kelisa 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.