Vank Cathedral

Vank Cathedral, also known as the Holy Savior Cathedral (Amenaprkich), is located in Isfahan and is regarded as the main cathedral of Isfahan's Armenian community. In Armenian, "vank" means monastery. The church was built by Armenian settlers during the reign of the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas. Covering an area of 8,731 square meters, the Vank complex includes several sections: the main church, a courtyard, a library, a printing house, assembly halls, a clock tower, a bell tower, rooms for priests and bishops, and a museum. At first glance, the differences between the architecture of Vank Cathedral and that of other churches in Iran are clearly visible. The church has two domes, one large and one small, which were among the main elements of Iranian architecture at that time. Shah Abbas made it a condition of the church's construction that it should not resemble the architecture of ordinary churches, in order to prevent religious disputes.

With this decision, Shah Abbas both met the request of the Armenians of Jolfa and avoided religious tension between Armenians and Muslims. Besides the domes and the distinctive brickwork, the church's interior paintings also draw attention. At that time, painting the interior walls of churches was not common, and most decoration and carving was limited to the exterior walls. In Vank Cathedral, however, the Armenian artists of Isfahan painted the interior walls, especially around the altar, and created a distinctive spiritual atmosphere.

In addition to the paintings, glazed tiles with beautiful designs decorate the lower parts of the interior walls. All of these paintings and tilework depict stories from the Gospel. Before a bell was installed in the church, the sound of striking a piece of wood called a kuchanak was used to call people to their religious services. The church's brick walls, nearly 12 meters high, and the tiles depicting winged angels all recall authentic Iranian architecture.