Iran home to ‘first church built in the world’

Iran is home to the Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, which is believed to be the first church built in the world.

The Monastery of Saint Thaddeus is one of the important and famous structures in West Azerbaijan Province.

St Thaddeus, which is inscribed on Iran’s National Heritage List, is revered by Armenians who believe it to be the first church built in the world.

St Thaddeus along with two other monastic ensembles of the Armenian Christian faith: St Stepanos and the Chapel of Dzordzor has also been inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List under the title “The Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran”.

“These edifices - the oldest of which, St Thaddeus, dates back to the 7th century – are examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions. They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian,” according to the UNESCO.

Each July, Armenian population in Iran and followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church participate in a three-day pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus. The pilgrimage is inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

SQ/FM