The church is now mostly empty of Christian worshippers -- two Sunni Muslims from a nearby Kurdish village guard it -- but thousands of Armenians from around the world flock here every summer for festivities to commemorate their patron saint, also known as Thaddeus.
Officially named St Thaddeus, the church's focus in Iran's World Heritage bid is, said Farri, a sign of its respect for other religions. He said Armenian pilgrims to the site are "completely free to do what they want".
Amnesty International this year said minorities in Iran were subject to discriminatory laws and practices. It focused on the treatment of Baha'is, seen by Iran's religious leaders as a heretical offshoot of Islam. It also said several evangelical Christians, mostly converts from Islam, were detained in 2006.
The U.S. State Department said in a March report that all religious minorities suffered varying degrees of discrimination in Iran, particularly in employment, education and housing.
But Sebouh Sarkissian, the Armenian archbishop in Tehran, dismissed such allegations as an "innovation from the West"."People are coming and always asking: is there discrimination in this country?" said the black-robed prelate in his office next to the 20th century Armenian cathedral in Iran's capital. "I can tell you that I've felt discrimination even in the United States, even in Europe."
DWINDLING COMMUNITY
Armenians are recognised in Iranian law. They have two seats assigned to them in the 290-seat parliament and can educate their children in the Armenian language. They can even make and drink alcohol at home -- a practice banned for Muslims.
Nonetheless, the community has continued to shrink since the Islamic revolution almost three decades ago.
Once estimated to have numbered several hundred thousands, it is now only about 100,000 strong, said Sarkissian citing a figure from the official IRNA news agency.
"The process of migration regarding the Armenian community started even before the revolution," he said. "Immigration and migration, it is a phenomenon all over the world ... not anything peculiar to Iran and Iranian society.
"Even Iranians are emigrating from this country, not only Christians, not only Armenians."
He acknowledged Armenians in Iran could face problems: for example, Armenian schools must use a religious book prepared by the government. But he praised the authorities for seeking World Heritage status for the Black Church and for renovating it.
A light-coloured section of the church was added 200 years ago. Saints slaying dragons and devils and other elaborate motifs are carved in white stone.
Visiting from a nearby town, Kheyrollah Mahmoudi said his grandmother and other Armenians fleeing Turkey hid there nine decades ago. She later married a Muslim man in Iran.
"They were all afraid they would be killed," Mahmoudi said, recalling the old stories as he stood gazing at the church in the sunlight. "It is like a movie in front of my eyes."
