Iran Press/ Iran news: Locating in the mountainous area of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran, the Monastery of Saint Thaddeus is believed to be one of the oldest church buildings in the world. Also known as Kara Kilisa, it is located about 20 kilometers from the town of Chaldiran and in 2020 was added by UNESCO to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
During the visit, Seyyed Ezzatollah Zarghami said, "The Kara Kilisa is world-famous and the custodian of the Church is a Christian. The church dates back to the first century, and despite the fact that various ruling dynasties have emerged over the centuries, the peaceful life of religions has kept the church safe and tourists from all over the world travel to Chaldoran to visit the building."
"Despite events such as earthquakes that have occurred in the area over the years, the church has survived, and this shows the greatness of its architecture," he added.
Iranophobia programs around the world are thwarted
Elsewhere, Zarghami said, "Many Iranophobia programs around the world are now being thwarted by a speech by Sherly Avedian, who works with the Iranian government to ensure the preservation and restoration of close to 450 Armenian Churches and monasteries. This is the result of the peaceful coexistence of different ethnicities and followers of different religions in Iran."
Avedian is the author of the highly informative book presented scholarly research which has spanned over seven years on the Armenian Churches and cemeteries of Iran and because of his leadership, some of the Armenian Monasteries have been included in UNESCO’s world heritage sites.
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