By Sotiris Letsios*
Iran is currently in the global spotlight, as millions of citizens take to the streets demanding freedom. Amid this climate, attention also turns to the difficult reality of the small Greek and Orthodox Christian community in Tehran, which gathers at the only Orthodox church in the entire country, the Church of the Annunciation.
Orthodoxi Alitheia spoke with Archimandrite Nikiforos Kounalis, General Archieratic Commissioner of the Holy Archdiocese of Crete, who has visited Tehran on three occasions to serve as parish priest at the Church of the Annunciation. “I always went there during Holy Week, because that was the only time the church was open,” Fr. Nikiforos explains. He adds: “Before me, Archbishop Makarios of Australia had celebrated the Divine Liturgy there, when he was still an Archimandrite. Also, the late Patriarch Demetrios, predecessor of the current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, served as priest of the church for ten consecutive years. It all began in 2018, when I was informed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate that I should travel there to celebrate the services of Holy Week. The services began on Holy Thursday and were performed exactly as in Greece, with the assistance of a chanter.”
The Episcopal Throne
From the moment he entered the church, Fr. Nikiforos was impressed by its decoration, especially the marble episcopal throne, as well as by its columns, reminiscent of ancient Greek architecture, and by the spaciousness of the interior. “All the services were perfomed in Greek. It was not possible to use any other language, as this is considered proselytism,” Fr. Nikiforos noted, adding: “We decorated the Epitaphios, carried it in procession around the church, and on Saturday the Resurrection service was celebrated. Only a few people of Greek origin took part in the congregation. There were no more than seven people with whom I could speak Greek. I remember that once three children received Holy Communion, but they did not speak Greek at all. Of course, we also served Orthodox faithful from embassies, such as those of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Finland, and others. It is worth noting that we are not allowed to perform sacraments such as marriage or baptism.””
In civilian clothes!
Fr. Nikiforos’ time in Tehran was always limited. His only route was from the hotel to the church — always dressed in civilian clothes while out on the street — and then back to the hotel again in order to prepare for the services. Once he completed his duties in Tehran, he boarded the first flight to Constantinople on Easter Sunday so as to attend the Vespers of Love. However demanding his schedule may have been, Fr. Nikiforos never failed to serve a Trisagion at the Greek cemetery in Tehran.
No matter how many years pass, the scene he witnessed on the night of the Resurrection remains unforgettable for him: the faithful attending the liturgy with deep devotion. “I saw in their eyes the longing to relive the atmosphere of an Orthodox Divine Liturgy,” Fr. Nikiforos observes, adding: “They experienced the spirit of the Resurrection in their souls far more deeply than Greeks themselves often do in their homeland.”
“It was the Virgin Mary!”
Equally moving was a moment on the morning of Holy Saturday, after the Trisagion service at the cemetery, when Fr. Nikiforos joined a group of people among whom was a young woman from Iran’s upper social class. As they spoke, the woman told Fr. Nikiforos that in her dreams a beautiful woman dressed in black often appeared to her, advising her: “Meet my Son.” As Fr. Nikiforos explains, “For me, this woman was the Virgin Mary one hundred percent,” and he continues: “However, I did not respond directly to her experience, because I did not know who this person was. I thought she might have been assigned by the regime authorities to monitor my movements. I simply told her not to dwell on the dream and that she should pray to God in general. If the dream is from Him, may He allow her to see it again; and if it is from the devil, may she never see it again. But the fact that the girl expressed so spontaneously what she had experienced was something unique.”
He then added: “The last time I visited Tehran was in 2022. No other priest has gone there after me. I experienced unprecedented moments. You cannot imagine how important it is for some Christians in Tehran to wait patiently every two years — even for just a few days — for a priest to arrive there.”
The Church of the Annunciation in Tehran is the only Orthodox church in Iran today. It was founded on September 29, 1951, and on Christmas Day of the same year the first Divine Liturgy was celebrated. The architectural plans of the church were prepared by the National Technical University of Athens, while its inauguration took place in 2001 by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. It is a single-aisled basilica without a dome, featuring Greek Neoclassical elements, while the exterior is in a pseudo-Ionic style. The church has a double-tiled roof, a propylaeum, and an empty pediment on the façade. Inside, the church is adorned with frescoes of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. Next to the church stands a two-storey building belonging to the Greek community.
They received Holy Communion at risk of their lives
He also recalls the following shocking incident: “On Saturday night, after the end of the Resurrection service, two people of Iranian origin approached me secretly. They begged me to give them Holy Communion after the rest of the faithful had left the church. They lived in Tehran and, to the outside world, they were considered Muslims!
The fact that they had received Holy Communion must not become known, because in that case their lives would be in danger. Although officially considered Muslims, they had been baptized as Orthodox Christians during a previous visit to an Orthodox country.”
*Originally published in the newspaper “Orthodoxi Alitheia”, Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
