Mahlazan Church (Surp Khach)

🕰️When was it built?

Its exact date is not known, but judging by its architecture it is attributed to the Mongol or the Safavid period. The church was added to Iran's National Heritage List in 1999. With no firm date, its construction can't be pinned to a particular year.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building is a Christian place of worship, and the name Holy Cross reflects that. The altar is the part used for the liturgy; when you look at a church, the relationship between the main space and the altar is one of the things worth noticing.

👀What you will see

• The building has a rectangular plan, and the church is laid out along that shape.
• Both stone and brick were used to build the church; look for the difference between the two on its walls.
• The church stands among the fields and orchards of Mahlazan, a very different setting from a church in town.
• The altar is part of the building; during your visit, notice where it sits in the space of worship.

💡Something interesting

The German scholar Wolfram Kleiss visited this church and described it under the name Makhlazan or Mahlazan. Along with notes on the building, he published a plan and several photographs, part of the history of research on the church.

🎒Good to know before you go

• The doors, stolen in earlier years, were remade and fitted in June 2025 with the help of an Armenian benefactor.