Following the Ottoman war of 1603-1605, Armenians began to arrive in Iran in search of a new life under the Safavid King Shah Abbas I.

Shah Abbas I, who settled tens of thousands of them in the Iranian provinces south of Aras River, also relocated Armenians, who had fled from the Ottoman massacre in Nakhchivan to Iran. […]

The Armenian immigrants settled in Isfahan and populated the city’s New Jolfa district, which was named after their original homeland in today’s Azerbaijan Republic. […]

One of the largest and most beautiful churches of Iran, the cathedral was completed in 1664. It includes a bell-tower, built in 1702, a printing press, founded by Bishop Khachatoor, a library established in 1884, and a museum opened in 1905.  […]

Built in 1871, the museum contains numerous objects related to the history of the cathedral and the Armenian community of Isfahan, including the 1606 edict of Shah Abbas I establishing New Jolfa and prohibiting interference with, or the persecution of, Armenians and their property and affairs in the district. […]

The Vank museum also houses an extensive collection of photographs, maps, and Turkish documents related to the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman kings.

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Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: IRNA

Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: Press TV

Library building at Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: IRNA

Courtyard of Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan.

Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Armenian Museum at Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan.

Armenian Museum at Vank Cathedral – New Julfa, Isfahan.

Armenian Genocide Memorial in Isfahan, Iran (dedication date Apr 24, 1975)

Read the full article at: Payvand News of Iran | Wonders of Iran: Vank Cathedral