St Stepanos of Jolfa: the Armenian monastery on the other side of the Aras
The Aras river is the border between Armenia and Iran, and on the Iranian bank, fifteen kilometres west of Jolfa, a canyon of red rock hides an Armenian monastery with a wall, towers and a church covered in reliefs. This is St Stepanos, Surp Stepanos, one of the three Armenian ensembles in Iran that UNESCO listed in 2008 and the most beautiful of the three. It is a step from Armenia and yet, to see it, you have to enter another country.
Why there are Armenian monasteries in Iran
Because this bank of the Aras was Armenia for centuries. The Jolfa region was Armenian until Shah Abbas, in 1604, deported its entire population to Isfahan to found New Jolfa; the monasteries stayed, with small communities that kept them up. Iran today has the largest Armenian community in the Middle East, and the Armenian Church still looks after St Stepanos, St Thaddeus and the chapel of Dzordzor, the three sites of the UNESCO listing.
What you see
A wall with round towers, like a fortress, and inside the church, on a cruciform plan, with a sixteen-sided drum beneath the dome covered in reliefs: saints, angels, scenes from the life of Christ and plant motifs carved in ochre stone. Tradition says the monastery was founded by the apostle Bartholomew in the 1st century; what stands is from the 9th to 14th centuries, with restorations from the 17th to 19th after several earthquakes. There is a bell tower, cells and a refectory, and around it the canyon and the river.
Pilgrimage
Armenians from Iran and the diaspora go up to the northern monasteries every summer; the great July pilgrimage is to St Thaddeus, three hours from here, and at St Stepanos there are also celebrations with mass and open-air meals. Outside those dates the monastery is open daily, with a caretaker who shows you the church.
How to get there from Armenia
By road, from Yerevan to Agarak, the southern border crossing, is about 350 km via Goris and Kapan; on the other side, Jolfa is an hour away and the monastery twenty minutes further. You need an Iranian visa, best arranged before travelling. It is not a day trip but a two- or three-day extension to Iranian Jolfa and Tabriz. If it interests you, write to us and we will see how to fit it in.
Frequently asked questions
Where is St Stepanos?
In north-western Iran, in the province of East Azerbaijan, about 15 km west of the town of Jolfa, in the canyon of the Aras river, facing the border with Armenia and Nakhchivan.
Do you need a visa?
Yes, an Iranian visa. The requirements change; check them and arrange it before leaving, because at the Agarak land crossing it is not always issued on arrival.
When is the pilgrimage?
In summer. The big pilgrimage of Iran's Armenians is to St Thaddeus, in July; St Stepanos has its own celebrations, with dates set each year by the Armenian diocese of Tabriz.
