Saint Stepanos Monastery

Description

The Saint Stepanos Monastery (Armenian: Սուրբ Ստեփանոս վանք, Surb Stepanos Vank; Persian: کلیسای سن استپانوس, Kelisā-ye San Estepānus), also known in Armenian as Maghardavank (Մաղարդավանք), is an Armenian monastery located about 15 km northwest of the city of Julfa in the province of East Azarbaijan, northwestern Iran. It is situated in a deep canyon along the Araxes, on the Iranian side of the border between Iran and Nakhchivan. It was originally built in the ninth century, and was rebuilt during the Safavid era, after being damaged through wars and earthquakes.

It is part of the Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, which are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.