BLOG WITH INFORMATION ABOUT ARMENIAN CHURCHES OF IRAN OPERATES
NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
YEREVAN
JULY 27, 2009
YEREVAN, JULY 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A blog which belongs
to the UNESCO’s Dias del Futuro Pasado website took rare photos and
news about several monuments which are favorite historic places for
Armenians and are included in the list of buildings having special
significance, in the World Heritage center, the Azg daily wrote.
These Armenian medieval churches, Saint Thaddeus (Tadei), Saint
Stepanos and the chapel of Dzordzor are situated near the northern
mountain chain of Iran and now they are in uninhabited and deserted
valleys. Kurd and Azeri villagers live in the vicinity. There are no
Armenians. "At first sight it will seem surprising for many people that
such Armenian churches were built on the forign Mahometan places far
away from Armenia, however after getting acquainted with the history
it becomes clear that they were not built far away from Armenia but
it was Armenia that moved away from them", the commentary of the
blog mentioned.
The map next to the pictures shows that the churches were built in the
center of historical Armenia in the cradle of the Armenian people, in
Vaspurakan. Tavriz, which was the trade gate in Marko Polo’s period,
was in its Eastern part and in the upper part, on the side of Araks
was Julfa, the way of Persian silk.
According to the legend, St Thaddeus church was founded in the place
of the former pagan temple in 66 by one of the first preachers of
Christianity, apostle St Thadeus. According to Father of Armenian
history Movses Khorenatsi, the preacher is buried there. After the
earthquake of 1324 the monastry was repaired and for its black and
white stones the natives called it Kara Kilise (a black church).
St Stepanos church dates back to the 7th century but it was built much
earlier by apostle Bardughimeos. The natives called it Kizil Kilisa
(a golden church) for the bright light auburn flashes of its stones. In
several kilometres from the church you can still see the ruins of the
last Armenian village Darashamb. Darashamb was an Armenian-populated
village in Iran’s Maku province. It had 280 inhabitants in 1916 who
were engaged in agriculture and cattle-breeding. The most part of
them immigrated in the Soviet Armenia in 1928 and the rest in 1946.
The chapel of Dzoradzor is the one known least of all, it was built
in the 10th century and was repaired after the earthquake of 1324.