St. George Church, Haftvan (Salmas)

🕰️When was it built?

The exact date of the first building is not clear. The church was restored in 1652 and rebuilt after the Salmas earthquake of 1930. Its paintings are attributed to the Safavid period, and in 2018 some of them were uncovered from under plaster and restored.

🏛️What was it built for?

The church was built for worship by followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Its paintings belong to that purpose too, showing religious stories and figures. Here you can notice how the space of worship and the images on the walls work together.

👀What you will see

• The dome rises above the hall, and its highest point is 13.5 metres above the floor.
• Wall paintings of heaven and hell make up part of the religious scenes inside the church.
• Images of Mary and Jesus are among the historic paintings in the building, parts of which have been restored.

💡Something interesting

The paintings were not uncovered all at once. In the 2018 restoration season, about 63 square metres of painted surface were restored after the plaster was removed and cleaned. Work on the parts still under plaster was planned for later seasons.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Arrange your visit to the inside of the church in advance, and don't touch the walls while you look at the paintings.