Mehr News Agency, Iran
Jan 11 2005
Vatican artists to help renovate Isfahan’s Saint Mary Church
TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (MNA) — A number of Vatican artists will join an
Iranian team renovating Isfahan’s Saint Mary Church to restore the
murals and plasterwork of the monument, an official of the Isfahan
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department announced on Tuesday.
`The artists have visited the church several times and discussed the
issue with the Iranians working on the project. They are to restore
the murals and plasterwork of the historic church,’ Ali Khajavi
added.
Located in the Armenian district of Jolfa, the Saint Mary Church was
constructed in 1613 and is known for the beauty of its dado
tile-work, completed several years after the original building
between 1651 and 1676, which reveals a high degree of naturalism and
depicts a landscape of evergreens and peacocks.
The construction was financed by an Iranian Christian merchant, Avdik
Babakian. Inside there are four significant Venetian paintings, one
of which shows the beheading of John the Baptist and includes a
portrait of the donor, Grak Agha, praying in the lower left-hand
corner. These paintings are interesting because they show the close
links that existed between the Safavids and Venetian merchants,
principally based upon the trade in silk and spices.
Armenians were settled in Isfahan by Safavid king Shah Abbas I who
wanted to take advantage of their trading skills.
Khajavi did not announce when the Vatican artists would be arriving.
The Bethlehem (1628) and Vank churches are also located in the Jolfa
district of Isfahan.