The monastery of Saint Stepanos in Jolfa:
Near the borderline between Iran and Azerbaijan just close to the city of Jolfa there is a cozy, holly monastery which takes you to heaven and let you shake hand with God and feel free and far from the worldly life.
It’s been so many years many people visit this place to reach peace and spiritual integrity and pray God, no matter they are Christians, Muslims and Jews.
It is said that Saint Bartholomew; the Apostle, founded a church at the site around 62 A.D, under the reign of the Parthian Empire in which the ideological pluralism was widespread. Then the first monastery was built in the seventh century, and was later expanded in the 10th century.
St. Stephen who died in 36 CE in Jerusalem, Christian deacon in Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr, whose apology before the Sanhedrin points to a distinct strand of belief in early Christianity. His defense of his faith before the rabbinic court enraged his Jewish audience, and he was taken out of the city and stoned to death. His final words, a prayer of forgiveness for his, echo those of Jesus on the cross. Stephen is the patron saint of deacons and stonemasons(Britannica).
To visit this extraordinary paradise you should go towards the borderline from the city of Jolfa. When you arrive there the monument shows itself from the mountains and invites you to the heart of the history of Christianity.
When you enter the area you find peace deep down in your heart then little by little the directions lead you to the main entrance to be embraced by God and his angels.
Visiting the monastery of Saint Stepanos is visiting pure Christianity and let you know how hard the early Christians tried to save and preach the religion we know today.
