Saint Sarkis Cathedral – Tehran

Saint Sarkis Cathedral or Saint Sarkis (Սուրբ Սարգիս մայր տաճար in Armenian) is the name of an Armenian church located on Karimkhan Zand Street at the beginning of Nejat Allah Street (previously Villa Street) in Tehran. Saint Sarkis Cathedral was established by personal expenses of an Armenian benefactor in Iran named Markar Sarkissian to the memorandum of his wife and it was designed by engineer Eugene Aftandilian in 1349 (1970). The seat of the caliphate was transferred to this place from Saint Marry Cathedral. This cathedral is also considered a symbol of Christianity in Tehran. It is noteworthy that the church dome was first on its walls. That is, the building had no bearing columns. However, after a while when the roof of the church started to fall down, the danger of the dome falling down was felt. Therefore, four columns were built under the dome to bear the dome weight. The memorandum church of Armenian martyrs of 1915 is located in this area and the tomb of the late bishop Ardak Manoukian, the previous caliphate of Armenians in Tehran is located beside them.