Howans church

The holy Hovhannes church is among a couple of the Catholic Armenian churches whose name is taken from one of the apostles of Jesus PBUH named Johannes .
Located in the city of Maragheh, it is known to date from the 5 th and 6 th centuries AD. The original building was devastated due to several reasons and the current building was constructed with the initiative of the commander Samsun Khan and the Russian and French architects in 1840 AD.
The rectangular monument has a brick exterior. Its brick Ivan leads up to the belfry, in a shape of 16-sided star with a height of 12 m, through two fleets of staircases. The church includes 3 parts, the home of archbishop, a school, and a place where candles and incense sticks were lit up. Unlike the customary way of church construction, it is built on a square space.
Built in the Ilkhanid era, the church is unique and is located in a place with several churches and monasteries.
After the migration of the Armenians to Tehran and other cities, it was abandoned and now the cultural heritage organization of Maragheh has opened up a painting museum in there.