Cantor Church One of the smallest churches in Iran

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Author: Parisa Khairi

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Duration Of Visit
0/5 To 1 Hour

Best Seasons To Visit

Daraee St, Ayatollah Taleqani St, Qazvin Province, Iran

Visitors Are Allowed

Also known as

Kantur Church
Russian Church
Naqoos Tower
Orthodox church

Geographical location of Cantor Church

Cantor Church is located in Taleghani Street, Daraae Alley, Qazvin province. The tomb of Hamdollah Mostofi and the Safavid royal Complex are among the historical sites around the building.

History and culture of Cantor Church

It is the smallest Orthodox church in Iran which was built in 1905 A.D for the Russians engineers and staff, hired for road constructions in Qazvin in Qajar era. The church has a small yard with two graves in it. One of the graves belongs to a Russian war pilot whose plane went down during the First World War near Qazvin, and the other one is the resting place of a Russian engineer who was working as a road construction engineer at the time.The church is referred to the "Cantor" or "Kantur" church because of the name of the area that it’s located in. This building also known as Naqoos tower which was constructed during Qajar Dynasty with a cruciform design. At that time, Orthodox Christian followers prayed and held their ceremonies there.

Russians engineers built their administrative offices in this part of the city, and in addition to the building of the Russian Consulate in Qazvin, they built other facilities such as water supply, theater in this city.

Architecture of Cantor Church

Cantor Church in Qazvin has a structure as a cruciform plan with the altar facing east. Its plan is based on a polygon made of red bricks which gave a special view to the church. Th

e entrance is surrounded by two walls adorned with crosses. On one side of the wall there are windows that are constructed like a horseshoe and are framed in two rows of bricks. There is a three-storey bell-house at the entrance that is bounded by a small arch.The chapel includes an altar and on both sides, are two rectangular areas. The altar is semi circle shape which covers the arches on the ceiling. At the external of the church, you can see some decorated columns.The first floor of the Naqoos Tower gives us great views of the surrounding area.

It is the first small Orthodox Church in Iran and the third in the entire world. What makes it stand out is its unique architecture and a three-story bellhouse which is roughly 11 meters height.

Tips and ideas

There is an Iranian handicraft shop inside the church called Pars Asha which is being visited by people. Nearest tourist attractions are; Chehel Sotoun mantion, Qazvin Anthropology Museum and Naderi mansion ( now it has been renovated to schools and gyms ), The tomb of Hamadullah Mostofi. The best time to visit this masterpiece is in; Spring, Summer and Autumn.

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Address Of Cantor Church: Daraee St, Ayatollah Taleqani St, Qazvin Province, Iran