{"id":15694,"date":"2026-02-20T12:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/communiques\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T07:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T07:03:56","slug":"the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east","status":"publish","type":"communique","link":"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/en\/communiques\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\/","title":{"rendered":"The Historical Presence of Christians in the East"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">In these uncertain times, we keep the Iranian people in our prayers<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><strong>When people talk about Iran, they often forget that it is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East.<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">In the 17th century, Shah Abbas I deported thousands of Armenians to his capital, Isfahan, and founded the New Jolfa neighborhood.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><strong>Even today, there are many churches there<\/strong>, including the <strong>famous Vank Cathedral<\/strong>, a gem that blends Armenian art with Persian influences.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">It is difficult to estimate the number of Armenian Christians in Iran <strong>(figures range from 30,000 to 100,000)\u2014including Apostolic, Catholic, and Evangelical Christians\u2014in addition to the Assyrian-Chaldeans<\/strong>. Recognized as <strong>a religious minority, they hold seats in Parliament and maintain their schools and places of worship<\/strong>.<strong> However, a strict legal framework limits their activities and rights and has led to mass emigration since 1979.<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div>In a country with a population of nearly 90 million, this low-key presence serves as a reminder of a reality that is more complex than one might imagine: <strong>Iran\u2019s history is also a Christian one.<\/strong><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">Murals depicting scenes from the Gospels inside the Armenian Cathedral of Vank, dedicated to the Holy Savior<\/div>\n<div class=\"elementToProof\">\u00a9 Jacques Berset<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"template":"","tags":[],"class_list":["post-15694","communique","type-communique","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Historical Presence of Christians in the East - \u0152uvre d&#039;orient<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/en\/communiques\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Historical Presence of Christians in the East - \u0152uvre d&#039;orient\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In these uncertain times, we keep the Iranian people in our prayers When people talk about Iran, they often forget that it is home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East. In the 17th century, Shah Abbas I deported thousands of Armenians to his capital, Isfahan, and founded the New Jolfa [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/en\/communiques\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0152uvre d&#039;orient\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-03T07:03:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Peintures-murales-representant-des-sc-enes-evangeliques-a-linterieur-de-la-cathedrale-armenienne-de-Vank-consacree-au-Saint-Sauveur-\u00a9-Jacques-Berset.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1259\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\\\/en\\\/communiques\\\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\\\/en\\\/communiques\\\/the-historical-presence-of-christians-in-the-east\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Historical Presence of Christians in the East - 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