St. Mary Church, Urmia
Ancient Assyrian church in Urmia, Northern Iran, Iran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. Mary Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܡܪܝܡ ܥܕܬܐ, Persian: کلیسای ننه مریم) is an ancient Assyrian church located in the city of Urmia, West Azerbaijan province, Iran.[1][2]
| St. Mary Church, Urmia | |
|---|---|
St. Mary Church in Urmia | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Assyrian Church of the East |
| Location | |
| Location | Urmia, West Azarbaijan Province, Iran |
  Shown within Iran | |
| Coordinates | 37°32′39.4″N 45°04′04.0″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 1st/7th century |
The current old building of the church belongs to the Sasanian era and its interior design is a combination of Sasanian and Arsacid architecture.
A Chinese princess, who contributed to its reconstruction in 642 AD, has her name engraved on a stone on the church wall. The famous Italian traveller Marco Polo also described the church in his visit.[3]
Briefly prior to the World War I, it was converted by Russians to a Russian Orthodox church.
In the early 1960s, the old church was restored and a modern church with a spire was built adjacent to the ancient church.
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