Church of Saint Mary (Nane Maryam), Urmia

🕰️When was it built?

The exact date of the first building is not known, but archaeologists attribute the domes, vaults and bases of the present building to the Sasanian period. The interior mixes Sasanian and Parthian styles. The church has been restored many times, including in 1963 and 1964, and its exterior changed in those renovations.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building is used for worship by Assyrian Christians and in the past was also a burial place for clergy. Beside the altar there is a space for baking the holy bread and a basin for baptising children. These small features show how religious rites were carried out inside the church.

👀What you will see

• The door into the hall is low, and inside there are no pews and no separate place for confession or for the priest to preach.
• Two vestibules on either side of the entrance passage hold the inscribed gravestones of several Christian leaders and clergy.
• To the right of the altar is a narrow, low passage, and in the space beside it is a wall oven for baking the holy bread.
• The stone baptismal basin for children is set into the wall next to the oven and is part of the church's ritual space.
• There are no paintings or stucco, and the present roof is pitched, though it differs from the original architecture.

💡Something interesting

A legend says this was first a fire temple, and that its magi saw a bright star and went to seek the sign of Christ's birth. When they returned, they turned the fire temple into a church. Take this as a legend, not as the established history of the building.