REPRESENTATIVE OF ICOMOS TO VISIT QARA KELISA
Soudabeh Sadigh
Cultural Heritage News, Iran
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July 10 2007
Representative of ICOMOS will visit Qara Kelisa in coming September
to study the status of this historic church to prepare the ground
for its world registration.
Tehran, 10 July 2007 (CHN Foreign Desk) – Representative of
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will come to
Iran this September to make a visit to Qara Kelisa.
Qara Kelisa otherwise known as St. Thaddeus Church, has been nominated
for being inscribed as Iran’s 9th world heritage site in list of
UNESCO’s World Heritage sites in by the World Heritage Committee
during their 32nd session which will be held in 2008.
Since the dossier of Qara Kelisa did not include the necessary
supportive evidence, it was earlier turned down by UNESCO last year.
Anyway, after many efforts the file was completed and succeeded to
win UNESCO’s approval.
Church of Saint Thaddeus, locally known as Qara Kelisa (The Black
Church), was built 1700 years ago in the Iranian northwestern province
of West Azarbaijan. This church has a worldwide reputation among the
Armenian Christians of the world and every year a large number of
Armenians come to this church for performing religious rituals.
Historians believe that the church is the womb 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. Experts from Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization
are also intending to have other famous churches in the province such
as St. Stepanous Cathedral in Khoy and Zoorzoor Church in Chaldoran
included as annexes to St. Thaddeus Cathedral after its registration.