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Iran'S Qara Kelisa To Host Armenian Pilgrims

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  • Iran'S Qara Kelisa To Host Armenian Pilgrims

    IRAN'S QARA KELISA TO HOST ARMENIAN PILGRIMS

    Payvand
    http://www.payvand.com/news/12/jul/1144.html
    July 16 2012
    Iran

    Source: Press TV

    Iran's Qara Kelisa will honor the memory of Saint Thaddeus and his
    faithful followers during a ceremony in the northern province of
    West Azarbaijan.

    Scores of Armenians, Assyrians and Catholics from Iran and other
    countries will attend the annual event as part of their pilgrimage
    on the Day of St. Thaddeus.

    The ceremony is known as one of the largest religious ceremonies held
    by Armenians, CHTN reported.

    Qara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, is one of the
    oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that
    carries great significance for the country's Armenian Orthodox
    community.

    Armenians hold that Qara Kelisa is the world's first church and was
    constructed in 68 CE by one of the apostles of Jesus, Saint Thaddeus,
    who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, to preach
    the teachings of Christ.

    Qara Kelisa, which literally means Black Church, 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.

    The church is composed of two parts: a black structure, the original
    building of the church from which it takes its name and a white
    structure, the main church, which was added to the original building's
    western wing in 1810 CE.

    An ancient chapel two kilometers northwest of the church is said
    to have been the place where the first Christian woman, Sandokh,
    was martyred. The chapel is believed to be as old as Qara Kelisa.

    The structure was inscribed along with two other monastic ensembles
    of the Armenian Christian faith namely St. Stepanos and the Chapel
    of Dzordzor.

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