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| Church & Monastery :: Thaddeus |
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Thadeus Monastery |
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The famous monastery of Sourb Thade (St. Thaddeus), or in Turkish, Ghara-Kilise, is located in the mountainous area of western Azer baidjian, about 20 km from the town of Makou and is today in Iranian territory. Sourb Thade can be glimpsed from quite a distance thanks to the massiveness of the church, strongly characterized by 2 cuspidate tambours. The monastery is perched on a mountain ridge beside a stream sunken into the rock, thus giving it a natural fortified position. Nearby are several chapels, 3 on the hills east of the stream, 1 approximately 3 km south of the monastery on the road to Bastam, and another that also serves as the church for the village of Ghara-Kilise.
According to tradition (see the chronological history), the monastery was founded by the Apostle |
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St. Thaddeus on the spot where a pagan temple existed in former times. Time after time it was destroyed by invasions, and struck by earthquakes, the most devastating of which occured in 1319. In 1329, the monastery was rebuilt, and further renewed and enlarged during the course of the following centuries.
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Location Map
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