Armenian Esfahān.

Through the good offices of Tyrell Northcutt and also by way of a post on the Western Confucian weblog, I recently came across a trove of images of a New Year's Day celebration of the Armenian Divine Liturgy at Vank Cathedral in Esfahān, Iran. The Armenian Apostolic Church begins its celebration of the Nativity and Theophany of Christ this evening, so this seems a good time to take note of the Armenians of Esfahān.

Armenian Christianity has fascinated and enchanted me for some time - for evidence of this, take a look at the two posts on Armenian Jerusalem here and here - and I regret that I've had very limited experience with the living tradition of the world's oldest Christian nation. Seeing Vank Cathedral is one of several reasons that I'd very much like to visit Esfahān, a city that Persian sages admiringly described as "half the world." Whether or not I ever get there, I pray that God will protect and preserve the Armenians of Esfahān as they seek to maintain their ancient faith despite great adversity. AMDG.