The precarious situation of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Kermanshah
Vahid Ranjbar published images of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Kermanshah, reporting on the church's dismal condition.
The Assyrian Pentecostal Church is located in Kermanshah, Shariati Street, Arvin Alley. It was built in 1955 at the request of Pastor Toma Nasseri, under the supervision of a Russian engineer in Kermanshah.
Pastor Wilson Issawi, who was the pastor of this church, was arrested in February 2009 and transferred to Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, where he spent 54 days. After Pastor Wilson's arrest, the church was closed.
In the past few weeks, media activist Vahid Ranjbar has been posting images of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church of Kermanshah on his personal Twitter page, revealing the church's worrying condition. The images indicate a lack of attention to the condition of this historical monument and the problems associated with its maintenance.
Over the past four decades, the Islamic Republic government has not only closed most of Iran’s churches, but in many cases has also confiscated the property of these churches or sold some of these properties through auctions. It is worth noting that the nationally registered “Mesih” Hospital in Kermanshah, which was considered the second most historic hospital in the country and was built by American Presbyterian missionaries, was also demolished by its owner in June of this year.
The Assyrian Pentecostal Church in Kermanshah, built on a 720-square-meter plot of land with a floor area of 170 square meters, stands out with red bricks and sand and cement mortar, but unfortunately, the possibility of its walls collapsing in the near future has raised concerns.
