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    Categories: 2018

Asbarez: Ancient Armenian Sites Being Restored In Northwest Iran

A view of Sandoukht temple in northwest Iran

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.”

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS