Hojjatollah Ayoubi made the remarks at the virtual opening ceremony of the ‘Iran-e Porgohar’ photo exhibition on Tuesday, adding that Iran’s cultural relations with Armenia are very strong, IRNA wrote.  

The exhibition features the three picturesque ancient churches that form the Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran.

St. Thaddeus, St. Stepanos, and the Chapel of Dzordzor are three camera-friendly ancient churches that constitute the Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran, which were collectively inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008.

They are spotted in northwestern Iran and are important pilgrimage sites for Armenian-Iranians.

Ayoubi added that a selection of 70 pictures captured by Iranian photographer Ebrahim Khadem Bayat is on show during the exhibit, which officially began on May 25.

“With holding such virtual exhibitions, we want to get more acquainted with the historical collections and ancient heritage of Islamic Iran, and we are happy to start this program with Armenian churches,” the cultural figure noted.

Expressing satisfaction with the joint registration ceremony of St. Thaddeus on UNESCO World Heritage List as a sign of long-standing friendship between Iran and Armenia, which was held last year with the participation of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, Ayoubi added that Thaddeus is one of the esteemed apostles of Jesus Christ and is highly respected by the Muslim and Christian community of Iran.

He added that the purpose of the registration is to protect more of this divine religion and to bring more followers of the divine religions closer.

Touching about the Instagram page of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, Ayoubi said that it has been hosting several cultural programs and exhibitions as of the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

He also referred to some of the programs held on virtual space as program about Persian poet and mystic Kamal Khujandi with Tajik people as well as the exhibition ‘My Beloved, Where Are You,’ in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Afghanistan.

Robert Beglerian, representative of the Armenian community of southern Iran in the parliament, appreciated organizing the exhibition and emphasized the solidarity of Armenian and non-Armenian Iranians.

He said in a time that Christians have suffered a lot in recent years, only Iran has been a safe place for followers of Christianity.

The bond between Iranians and Armenians, in addition to historical commonalities, is their common human characteristics, he added

Source: Iran Daily