Saint Stepanos Monastery

Saint Stepanos is an Armenians monastery in Iran which is situated in Jolfa East Azerbaijan province.

Saint Stepanos is the second major monastery of Armenians in Iran after the St. Thaddeus Monastery. It is placed near the Aras River in East Azerbaijan province. Saint Stepanos Monastery is a spectacular attraction of East Azerbaijan province that has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Saint Stepanos was one of the first martyrs of Christianity. This monastery belongs to the followers of Gregory the Illuminator, who are living in Armenia.

• Architecture
   

  Saint Stepanos Monastery is a combination of Urartu, Parthian, and Roman architectural style. It is better to know that the earthquake damaged this monastery then it has restored in the Safavid era. Saint Stepanos Monastery is placed in a green nature among the tall trees with a shape of a cylinder with a conical dome above it. The whole structure is covered by the pink, red, and white stone, which consist of seven towers and five stone cylinders. The monastery has two entrance gate which one is located on the west side, and the other one is on the south side. The outer walls include marvelous carving that has created an eye-catching view. The main building of monastery consists of three part as follows:
   

  • Sahn and hexadecagon dome

    When passing the entrance gate, you will see the hexadecagon dome which has been decorated by geometric and arabesque patterns. Every other edge of this dome includes a window which opens to the Sahn of the monastery and illuminates it with natural light. There is fabulous ornamentation in the interior like painting, muqarnas, and arabesque patterns. 
     

  • Belltower

    Belltower is placed on the southern side of the building in two stories on the four columns. There is a pyramid dome on the second store based on the eight small prism columns. The Belltower is situated on the tip of the pyramid dome.
     
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  • Ojagh-e Daniel

    This part is the chapel of the monastery, which is known as the chapel of Paul the Apostle. This chapel has a rectangular-shaped plan with an entrance gate on the western side.
     

  • Inscription

    There is an inscription in Nastaʿlīq script above the entrance gate of Saint Stepanos Monastery. This inscription is made of red limestone.
     

• Visiting information
   

  It is better to know some information about visiting time and the payment of it.
   
  • Visiting the Saint Stepanos Monastery for foreign visitors costs 1500,000 IRR.
  • You can visit the Saint Stepanos Monastery every day from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
     

• What is the best time to go?
   

Due to the monastery adjacent to the Aras River and green nature of Jolfa, suggest you to visit Saint Stepanos Monastery during spring and summer.
 

•  Getting there?
   

  Saint Stepanos Monastery is located 17 kilometers west of Jolfa and three kilometers of the Aras River in a place called Ghezel Vank. You can reach there via private car or public transportation such as a taxi as follow:
   
  • If you want to reach there via private car, you should go from Tabriz to Jolfa.
  • If you want to reach there via train or bus terminal, you should take a taxi. You can use taxi calls by calling 133. When declaring your position, a taxi will be provided at your place after a few minutes.
    
    Also, this following map helps you to see the exact location of Saint Stepanos Monastery: