IRAN’S Armenian monastic ensembles have been designated as the country’s ninth property to be inscribed onto the World Heritage List. The three Armenian churches in northeastern Iran - the Saint Thaddeus Monastery,


the Saint Stepanos Church and the Chapel of Dzordzor - were inscribed during the 32nd session of the


World Heritage Committee in July last year in Quebec City, Canada.


The Armenian monasteries were a major hub for the dissemination of the Armenian culture into Azerbaijan and Persia, according to the UNESCO.org website.


“They are the last regional remains of this culture that are still in a satisfactory state of integrity and authenticity. Furthermore, as places of pilgrimage, the monastic ensembles are living witnesses of Armenian religious traditions through the centuries,” it said.


The structures - the oldest of which is Saint Thaddeus, dating back to the 7th Century - are examples of the universal value of Armenian architectural and decorative traditions.


The UNESCO committee voted to inscribe the structures for their important interaction with other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.