Saint Sarkis Cathedral (Tehran)

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Saint Sarkis Cathedral (built 1970), 2016
In front of the altar of St. Sarkis Church

The Saint Sarkis Cathedral or Saint Serkis Cathedral ( Armenian Սուրբ Սարգիս մայր տաճար Surb Sargis majr tatschar , Persian کلیسای سرکیس مقدس) is a church building of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the Iranian capital Tehran , which bears the name of Saint Sarkis ( Sergius ). It is the cathedral of the Armenian diocese of Tehran, one of three Armenian dioceses in Iran that is subordinate to the Catholic of Cilicia and whose current prelate is Archbishop Sepuh Sargsjan .

Location

The Saint Sarkis Cathedral is located in Tehran on the south side of Karim-Khan-Zand-Straße at the beginning of Nedschatollahi-Straße (the former Villa-Straße, on its east side), which goes north from Karim-Khan-Zand-Straße merges into Neue Villa-Strasse. To the north of Karim-Khan-Zand-Strasse is the city’s own Sankt-Marien-Park (بوستان مریم مقدس), west of Neue Villa-Strasse the "Westliche Sankt-Marien-Park" (بوستان حضرت مریم غربی).

architecture

Saint Sarkis Cathedral with the main dome and one of its two bell towers

The Saint Sarkis Cathedral, the largest church building in Tehran, is 36.5 meters long and 17.8 meters wide. It is a single-nave church building, the concrete walls of which are clad in white marble , as is the floor . It was originally built without internal pillars, so the hexagonal dome was supported by the walls alone. However, when the dome threatened to collapse, four supporting columns were added later. The church has a gallery for the church choir. The two bell towers stand on each side above the entrance hall on the west side of the church and are each provided with a dome. The bells are struck electrically. All three domes are decorated with octagonal bars.

As with other Armenian churches, the semicircular altar is on the east side. There are prayer rooms with side entrances on both sides of the altar. The walls above the altar and on both sides are decorated with wall paintings showing Bible motifs : St. Mary with Jesus, Ascension, John the Baptist at the baptism of Christ and the crucifixion of Jesus.

history

inside view

Since the consecration of the Church of Our Lady ( Surb Astvatsatsin ) in the center of Tehran in 1945, the Tehran Prelature of the Armenian Apostolic Church has been in the rooms of the Church of Our Lady. In the early 1960s it was decided to find a new location for the prelature. Therefore, the bishop and the committee members of the time turned to the Armenian benefactor Markar Sarkissian, who should help them in this matter. Markar died shortly afterwards, but his two sons Gurgen and Vasgen Sarkissian financed the construction project to commemorate their deceased parents. This enabled the committee to buy the land at the end of Villa Street (now Nejatollahi Street). The construction of the Saint Sarkis Church in Tehran began in 1964 under the minority tolerant Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was completed in 1970. The church was renovated in 2000.

Archbishop Sepuh Sargsyan (center), St. Sarkis Tehran, on Genocide Remembrance Day, April 24, 2017

In 2006, Hrair Hagopian had the baptismal font and church renovated in memory of his late wife Vartoohi Davidian.

Every year church services and commemorative events are held in the church and in front of it on April 24th to commemorate the genocide of the Armenians , which began on April 24th, 1915.

Tehran monument commemorating the Armenian genocide

Armenian Genocide Memorial, 2016

In the courtyard of the church there is a monument made of white marble in memory of the Armenian genocide . It is 3.50 meters high and has inscriptions in Persian and Armenian on the base and the date April 24, 1915. The memorial was unveiled on April 24, 1973, the 58th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

literature

  • Andrew Burke, Mark Elliott: Iran . 5th edition. Lonely Planet, Melbourne 2008, ISBN 978-1-74104-293-1 , pp. 108 (English).
  • Kenneth Frampton, Hasan-Uddin Khan: World Architecture 1900–2000: A Critical Mosaic: The Middle East and Turkey . 1st edition. Springer Verlag, Vienna 2000, ISBN 978-3-211-83288-2 , p. 118-119 (English).
  • دانشنامه ایرانیان ارمنی ، نویسنده: ژانت د. لازاریان ، انتشارات هیرمند ، چاپ دوم: ۱۳۸۸ ، شابک: ۰-۵۰-۶۹۷۴-۹۶۴-۹۷۸ [Janet D. Lazarian: Encyclopedia of Iranian Armenians. Hirmand Publication, Second Edition 2009], ISBN 9789646974500 .
  • کلیسای سرکیس مقدس تهران ، کلیساهای تاریخی ایران ، درگاه کویر ، معماری و بناها [Church of the Sarkis buildings of Tehran: Historical Churches of Iran, Desert Architecture ] Harbor, Desert .
  • بنای یادبود شهیدان نژادکشی ارمنیان, نویسنده: ادوارد هاروتونیان, فصلنامه فرهنگی پیمان - شماره 69 - سال هجدهم - پاییز 1393 [Edward Harutonian: Armenian Genocide Memorial. Peyman Cultural Petition - No. 69 - Eighteenth Year - Autumn 2014].
  • کلیساهای ارامنه ایران ، مؤلف: لینا ملکمیان ، چاپ دوم ، زمستان ۱۳۸۰ دفتر پژوهشهای فرهنگی [Lina Malcolmian: Churches of Armenians in Iran. Second Edition, Winter 2001, Office of Cultural Studies].

Web links

Commons : Sankt Sarkis (Tehran)  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d کلیسای سرکیس مقدس تهران ، کلیساهای تاریخی ایران ، درگاه کویر ، معماری و بناها [Churches of the Holy Sarkis of Tehran and Desert buildings]. Historical Churches of the Holy Sarkis of Tehran buildings.
  2. ↑ a b c Information board at the Saint Sarkis Cathedral in Tehran
  3. ↑ Janet D. Lazarian. Encyclopedia of Iranian Armenians. Hirmand Publication, Second Edition: 2009.
  4. ↑ Edward Harutonian. Armenian Genocide Memorial, 2014.

Coordinates: 35 ° 42 ′ 54 ″  N , 51 ° 24 ′ 54 ″  E