TEHRAN(Tehran Times)–Restoration work has commenced for three Armenian sites that stand adjacent to the UNESCO-registered Monastery of Saint Thaddeus in northwestern Iran.
“Sandoukht mausoleum and temple as well as Zakarius church are being renovated,” ISNA quoted Hassan Sepehrfar, a provincial tourism official, as saying on Sunday.
A budget of one billion rials (some $24,000) has been allocated to the projects that include flooring and structural fortification, the official added.
The St. Thaddeus Monastery has always been a place of high spiritual value for Christians and other inhabitants in the region. Every summer, it hosts gatherings of pilgrims coming from Iran and Armenia to observe special religious ceremonies such as Holy Communion and baptism.
Together with St. Stepanos Monastery and the Chapel of Dzordzor, St. Thaddeus was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008 under the title “Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran.”
One billion Rial = $24,000…..
With that kind of loser exchange rate it’s best Iran turn over the churches as well as the region to its rightful owners. No sense in having a bankrupt mullah run nation control our spiritual and historical lands.
Couldn’t agree more. The same goes for Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
there were 3 monasteries –2 in Iran and 1 in Turkey
The one in Turkey is inside the confines of a militarized area, unreachable and probably destroyed
There is pilgrimage — camping etc to St Tadeus at least every summer in Iran