A wounded but standing church in Urmia

Suhaila. Sh. FCNN News Agency: It is a stone building. On the slope of a hill overlooking the city with tree-filled gardens on both sides. There is no reliable information about the time of construction of this building, but it is said that it is close to a thousand years old. Or maybe even more.

However, it is a respected place for Christians around the world.

The population of nearly 500 people in the village of Janoslo, located nearby, does not appreciate the monument. They are all Muslims, and no one believes how much importance the entire Assyrian and Armenian population of this settlement attached to this stone monument until 100 years ago.

Now they have all migrated to nearby cities or perhaps left Iran for countries where there are no restrictions on being a Christian and worshipping God.

Of course, this change in the demographic makeup of Janoslo does not diminish the status of this stone building known as the "Church of St. Mary".

From heart-to-heart stories to domestic media stories

Various stories have been told about the motivation and time of construction of this stone monument.

Some believe that it dates back to the time of the Sasanian king Khosrow Parviz. They believe that Shirin, Khosrow's Armenian wife, built this church to fulfill her vow after the Romans defeated the Iranians, to be a place of worship for Christians.

Another story goes back to the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is said that the building of this church was originally a Zoroastrian fire temple, but three Zoroastrian priests, who witnessed the birth of Jesus Christ by following a star in the sky, converted the fire temple into a church after returning from their trip to Jerusalem. In order to be evangelists for Jesus Christ.

The church's custodian recently told ISNA: "This small house is actually the burial place of a very pious woman, for whom land has been dedicated over time and a building has been built on her grave for those who light candles and pray for a few minutes in its small, carpeted room. But here is what is written on the door: the Church of the Holy Mary, where stones should not be stuck to its walls and shoes should not be worn inside the building."

The interpretation of this watchdog and this news agency, however, is far from the stories that indicate the church's antiquity and historical background.

Parthian and Sasanian architecture in the church

In any case, whatever the story, the reality is that the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, is the second oldest church in the world after the Church of Bethlehem.

This building is also the smallest church in Iran, but its historical importance can be seen in Marco Polo's travelogue and the influx of tourists who cross the main and secondary roads to Urmia to see this sacred stone building.

However, unfortunately, we are witnessing that the axe of unprincipled renovations has also fallen on the structure of this building, leaving scars. This church is registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List and has an international reputation.

The Church of St. Mary has been renovated many times and has taken on various forms. In 642 AD, a Chinese princess named "Buffari" began to restore the building.

This Chinese prince, along with fifty of the country's leaders, came to Mesopotamia in 642 AD to meet with the Archbishop of Nineveh, and from there they went to Urmia and resided in this church for a while.

This building is made of stone and mortar, and there are no traces of religious paintings or images in any part of the church.

The current building of the Nene Maryam Church, especially its domes, arches, and foundations, according to archaeological experts, dates back to the Sassanid period, and its interior architecture is a mixture of Sassanid and Parthian architecture.

The Church of St. Mary has 9 pews and 9 places for confession or the priest's sermon, with a low entrance facing the courtyard.

To the left and right of the entrance hall of this church are two vestibules with inscribed tombstones, which were the burial places of Christian clergy. The current tombstones in the vestibules belong to three leaders of the Assyrian Church of the East and a missionary of the Russian Orthodox Church.

 To the right of the altar is a short, narrow corridor, with a wall oven built into the right wall of this room, which was used to bake the holy bread. Next to this oven is a stone basin built into the wall for the baptism of children.

The Church of the Holy Virgin Mary has a relatively large courtyard. The church courtyard is accessed by two entrances to Quds Street and the West Side Alley. The old part and most of the church buildings are located on the northern side of the courtyard.

There is much debate about the age of this place; some say it was a place of worship for Assyrian villagers 1,300 years ago, while others say it is no more than 800 years old.

This building is one of the stone monuments of the province and all its walls and ceiling are made of irregular stones in a very skillful and extremely strong way. The building consists of two parts, which include a relatively short entrance and the first prayer hall, the altar and the rooms around it. The next part is another hall that is located parallel to the first hall and small rooms that are connected to the back of the altar.

The interior of both halls is simple and covered with plaster. The halls are covered with vaults and a semi-oval shape, reminiscent of ancient architecture. At the back of the church building and connected to it is a small space that includes a room and a crypt below it, which is considered the church's attic.

The Church of the Holy Virgin Mary is located in Urmia city and is a place of pilgrimage for all Christians, including Assyrians and Armenians.

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