St Stephen's Church or Kelisa Darré Sham is an Armenian church and monastery in northwestern Iran.
The church is located in an otherwise deserted valley near the town of Marand. Dating from the 9th century, the church was built in a deep gorge not far from the river Aras.
According to Sebuh Sarkisian of the Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Tehran, some of the bones found in the church could be those of John the Baptist.
In 2008, the church, along with the Qara Kelisa and the Chapel of Dzordzor, was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.
Its name refers to the "Armenian monastic ensembles in Iran".
                                
 
                                I am Maarten Verhees. The focus of my photographs is on the variation of architecture, animals and people. I try to capture the essence of local places in photographs... Read more…
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