Armenian churches included in list of world’s most beautiful churches
Two Armenian churches are on the list of the world’s 23 most beautiful churches, according to the Daily Telegraph.
One of them is Bethlehem church in Iran. Also known as Bedkhem Church, this Armenian Apostolic 17th-century church can be found in Isfahan, Iran’s showstopper Safavid city that bedecked each street with glorious monuments and buildings. It is decorated with 72 exquisite paintings, including depictions of the Last Supper and the Expulsion from Eden, but its dome is most defiantly beautiful, with gilding, dainty windows and fine detail. Isfahan is home to some 7,000 Armenians, who live in the Jolfa quarter. Although they are required to obey Islamic dress codes by law, they retain their own culture, identity, language, and 16 churches.
Also included in the list is Church of Saint Stephanos, Iran. In the very north-west of Iran, this isolated Armenian church sits in a green, verdant valley that counters the belief that Iran is just desert and mosque. The vaults, arches and dome are decorated with murals and relief work, while the shrine contains Safavid-era chairs, three images of Mary and Jesus, and four Bibles. Some believe that the bones in the gilded reliquary are those of Saint Gregory.