The Oldest Churches In Iran
According to the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Saint Thaddeus, also known as Saint Jude, (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), evangelized the region of Armenia and Persia. Thaddeus suffered martyrdom in Armenia, according to the same tradition, and is revered as an apostle of the Armenian Church. Legend has it that a church dedicated to him was first built on the present site in AD 66. Little remains of the monastery's original structure, as it was extensively rebuilt after an earthquake damaged it in 1319. Nevertheless, some of the parts surrounding the altar apse date from the 7th century. Much of the present structure dates from 1811 when the Qajar prince Abbas Mirza aided renovations and repairs. Simeon, Father Superior of the monastery, added a large narthex-like western extension to the church.