The Holy Bethlehem Church features a tall, unadorned exterior of baked brick that blends into the surrounding walls of the New Julfa district. Inside, the walls display seventy-two elaborate paintings depicting the life of Jesus Christ, topped by a high central dome covered in intricate floral motifs and gold leaf. A wealthy merchant named Khwaja Petros commissioned the structure in the seventeenth century to serve the Armenian community displaced by Shah Abbas. His tomb lies under the church floor near the entrance.
Holy Bethlehem Church
religious