| Description |
The three-day pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery is an annual event that marked its 64th anniversary in 2018. The pilgrimage is a community celebration held in July with the participation of the Armenian communities of Iran and Armenia and other countries. The pilgrimage is inclusive for those who wish to attend: clergy, community leaders, regional and local governmental officials, laypeople, artisans, people with disabilities in search of a healing power from the Lord that may be granted to them with mediation through the holy spirit of St. Thaddeus, children and the elderly. The pilgrims gather for religious celebrations and special cultural, folk and educational performances. In Iran, busses and caravans transport individuals from Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Salmas and Urmia to the St. Thaddeus Apostle Monastery. Hundreds of pilgrims attend the event from all over Armenia, including the capital city, Yerevan, other cities and bordering towns and villages to Iran.
Hundreds of tents are erected in the countryside for more than 6000 pilgrims who attend the three-day ceremony from Iran, Armenia and overseas. The pilgrimage venerates two prominent Saints: St. Thaddeus, the Apostle of Christ, and St. Santukhd, the first female Christian Martyr. The commemoration ceremony includes special liturgies, processions, prayers, homilies and fasting. It culminates in a divine liturgy (Holy Mass) with Holy Communion and the anointment of the water blessed with Holy oil. Special times are set aside for traditional Armenian folk performances that include special music and songs. Artisans and craftsmen demonstrate their works of art at special stands. Ethnic Armenian dishes and delicacies are served at appointed times during the Pilgrimage.
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| Social and cultural significance |
The Pilgrimage is the primary social and cultural event of the year. It is an opportunity to establish new relations and renew old friendships and bonds with community members and with Armenians who travel long distances to practice the element. Because the attendees reside in tents in close proximity to one another, the sense of community is enhanced. This atmosphere lends itself to families, neighbors and even non acquaintances getting together over a common meal, storytelling, singing around a campfire, watching the children playing far from distractions of everyday life, such as work, watching TV, working on a computer or texting on the cell phone. For the faithful, the element is an opportunity for inner reflection, prayer, inspiration and meditation. For most, it is the ideal atmosphere for reconnecting with the cultural past through sharing songs, folk perfromances and the arts. All senses of piety, community, affinity and cultural awareness are picked up during the Pilgrimage. |
| Transmission method |
In both Submitting states, the transmission of knowledge and skills on the element is carried out through non-formal and formal transmission. The non-formal transmission (master-apprentice relationship) is mostly practiced in churches and through religious education. The publications of the Armenian Diocese and the publicization of the performed actions supplement this knowledge.
The inclusion of the Armenian Monastic Ensembles by the Government of Iran on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2008 highly contributed to promoting and transmitting related knowledge.
Non-formal transmission is undertaken by families both in Iran and Armenia. Knowledge about the history of the Monastery and the pilgrimage is highly important for the Iranian-Armenian Community, and stories about visits to the sacred place are, thus, intergenerationally transmitted. The transmission of such information by parents and relatives of youth has contributed to the expansion of the number of participants attending the pilgrimage and to its stable growth through years.
The mass media, such as the daily "Alik" newspaper of the Iranian-Armenian community and other community organizations always refer to the pilgrimage in their publications and events. The documentary by Arbi Hovhannisyan, "Pilgrimage to the Monastery of Apostle Saint Thaddeus", built in 1965, reviews the history of the pilgrimage in social media, publications, and by means of other visual methods of exchanging information, shared by the pilgrims. In Armenia, many mass media representatives talk about the pilgrimage, where the pilgrims, as well as the pilgrimage-organizers share their histories and great experience.
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| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2020 |
