Initial File of St. Thaddeus Church Accepted by UNESCO

Cultural Heritage News Agency

Below it says "The Thaddeus Church, locally known as Qara Kelisa or the Black Church is considered one of the oldest churches in the world, whose construction began 1700 years ago. Historians believe that the Church is the tomb of Thaddeus who is said to have been one of Christ’s disciples who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, for preaching the teachings of Christ." It is my hope that Turkey follows the Islamic Republic of Iran by example. Respect for other's culture is not a question of a clash of civilizations between Christianity and Islam, but it is a victim of nationalism in Turkey. I thank the Islamic Republic of Iran for its efforts and for keeping the sanctity of the church.

Tehran, 8 April 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) -- The dossier of the Church of Saint Thaddeus, locally known as Qara Kelisa in the Iranian northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, which was prepared by experts of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) in an attempt to inscribe this ancient monument in UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 2008 has been accepted by experts of UNESCO in the initial phase.

Qara Kelisa had previously been put up by Iran for UNESCO world registration in 2007, however due to lack of substantial documents including those pertaining to the value of the building and maps of its precincts, the Organization turned down the application

Announcing this news, Mohammad Hassan Khademzadeh, head of research centers of Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization in all Iranian provinces told CHN that the representatives of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will pay a visit to this historic church to study its situation in two weeks and then a team of UNESCO’s experts will come to Iran within a few months in order to see the condition of Qara Kelisa and the other historical churches in the province such as St. Stepanous Cathedral in Khoy and Zoorzoor Church in Chaldoran as annexes to St. Thaddeus Cathedral for being registered in list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

Khademzadeh believes that Iran has made a lot of effort to prepare all required conditions for St. Thaddeus world registrations and expressed hope that if nothing extraordinary happens, this ancient church to be registered as the 9th Iranian historical site in list of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.

The Thaddeus Church, locally known as Qara Kelisa or the Black Church is considered one of the oldest churches in the world, whose construction began 1700 years ago. Historians believe that the Church is the tomb of Thaddeus who is said to have been one of Christ’s disciples who traveled to Armenia, then part of the Persian Empire, for preaching the teachings of Christ.

Today the church is known as Qara Kelisa and belongs to the Armenian community of Iran. It has an international reputation and hosts annual meetings of world Armenians each year in July-August. Enjoying special features such as antiquity, its unique architectural style, as well as its religious importance among the world Armenians and the rituals which are held annually in this church has made Qara Kelisa worthy for being inscribed in list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.

Soudabeh Sadigh
foreigndesk@chn.ir

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