Also known as Holy Savior Cathedral and The Church of the Saintly Sisters, Vank Cathedral is an Armenian Apostolic Church in Isfahan, Iran.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenian Christians were resettled after the Ottoman War and found freedom to worship in 17th-century Persia. They began work on the Cathedral sometime around 1606 and completed it in 1664.

As a sanctuary for Christians fleeing persecution, the Cathedral tells their stories in vivid detail. There are two bands of murals wrapping around the interior walls. The lower band features pictures of Armenian martyrs being tortured by the Ottoman Empire. These are paralleled by the band running above, where the pictures portray the life of Christ. It’s a powerful theological statement: whatever persecutions these Christians endured united them in Christ’s suffering and the story of His redemption, and His story is above all stories.

Outside the church lie the graves of both Orthodox and Protestant Christians.

To learn more about the church and its history, click here.