| St. Mary Church, Urmia | |
|---|---|
 St. Mary Church in Urmia | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Assyrian Church of the East |
| Location | |
| Location | Urmia,West Azarbaijan Province,Iran |
  Shown within Iran | |
| Geographic coordinates | 37°32′39.4″N45°04′04.0″E / 37.544278°N 45.067778°E /37.544278; 45.067778 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 1st/7th century |
St. Mary Church (Classical Syriac:ܥܕܬܐ ܕܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܡܪܝܡ ܥܕܬܐ,Persian:کلیسای ننه مریم) is an ancientAssyrian church located in the city ofUrmia,West Azerbaijan province,Iran.[1][2]
The current old building of the church belongs to theSasanian era and its interior design is a combination ofSasanian andArsacid architecture.
A Chinese princess, who contributed to its reconstruction in 642 AD, has her name engraved on a stone on the church wall. The famous Italian travellerMarco Polo also described the church in his visit.
Briefly prior to theWorld War I, it was converted byRussians to aRussian Orthodox church.
In the early 1960s, the old church was restored and a modern church with a spire was built adjacent to the ancient church.
West Azerbaijan province, Iran | ||
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| Capital |  | |
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