St. Thaddeus Monastery in Chaldoran is located in West Azerbaijan, 20 kilometers to the northeast of Siah Cheshmeh district. The church is situated in the mountainous region of Chaldoran, the highest region of West Azerbaijan province. The specific location of the church is in such a way that is surrounded by mountains and is adjacent to a river. The main church has a flat roof, which has a do-decagon dome above it. The base of the dome is covered with white stones giving a special effect to the church. The presence of two identical domes beside each other depicts Mount Ararat. Stunning paintings and inscriptions make this place stand out among many other churches of the same age. Due to the architectural features of this monument, the existence of defensive walls around the church and its main entrance, this building was probably used as a castle as well. Beside these, there are five watch towers on four sides of St. Thaddeus Monastery. The church comprises a set of spaces consisting of two eastern and western courtyards and 47 rooms that belonged to monks, teachers, scholars, writers, church guards, and library. In addition, there is a small basement beneath the rooms, and there are other spaces which were used as dining room, kitchen, and warehouse. There are several tombstones and a small rocky pool inside the church, and a great deal of artworks have been done on the outer walls of the church. The ceiling of the altar is decorated with beautiful black and white marble stones. Armenians gather together and hold the anniversary of the Holy St. Thaddeus on the 4th of August each year. Many Armenian Orthodox of Azerbaijan, Tehran, Isfahan and other parts of Iran and the world attend the ceremony and baptize their children and celebrate the feast.
