Monastery of Saint Thaddeus

Description

The Monastery of Saint Thaddeus (Armenian: Սուրբ Թադէոսի վանք, Surb Tadeosi vank; Persian: کلیسای تادئوس مقدس, Kelisā-ye Tādeus moghadas) The "Holy Tadeosi Cathedral" is an ancient Armenian monastery in a mountainous area of West Azerbaijan province, Iran. It is believed to be one of the oldest church buildings in the world.

Also known as Kare Kilisa (the "Stone made Church") (Kare in Armenian translates to "stone," and Kelisa is the Persian word for "church"), this historic site is located approximately 20 kilometers from the town of Chaldiran in Iran, in the region historically referred to as Ancient Armenia in the East. The monastery and its distinctive Armenian conical roofs are visible from long distances.

The Monastery is the site of the Pilgrimage of St. Thaddeus which in 2020 was added by UNESCO to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.