Chupan Chapel, Armenian chapel near Aras River, Jolfa County, Iran.
Chupan Chapel is an Armenian place of worship with a cross-shaped layout built from stone and mortar, its walls plainly finished and showing traditional Armenian architectural methods. The structure conveys through its craftsmanship a direct sense of construction from the 16th century.
The chapel was built in 1518 to meet the spiritual needs of shepherds in this remote mountain valley. A thorough renewal in 1836 strengthened the structure and secured its survival for the centuries to come.
The chapel takes its name from two Christian shepherd brothers whose faith shaped the community in this isolated mountain region. Visitors can still sense the connection between the worship place and its origin through the simple, honest architecture.
The location sits in a high mountain area near the Aras River, reachable via the route to Saint Stepanos Monastery in East Azerbaijan. Visitors should expect uneven paths and changing mountain conditions.
The chapel was long difficult to access and thus remained largely untouched by modern changes. Today its remote location offers visitors a rare glimpse into Armenian religious practice in its original setting.
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