TEHRAN – The city of Tehran on Saturday inaugurated a new metro station called Maryam-e-Moqaddas (meaning Virgin Mary in Persian), demonstrating peaceful coexistence between religions in the country.
The building features Christian-themed art and architecture and is located near the Armenian Cathedral of St. Sarkis, a major hub for the city’s Armenian Christian community.
Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani wrote in a post on
This station commemorates a divine woman who, through her purity, awakened the world by raising great prophets. He added that the purpose of giving the station such a name is to honor Saint Mary and demonstrate the coexistence of sacred religions in Tehran.
As the photo of the station went viral, social media users from different countries described it as amazing. A devout Christian posted a photo of the station and said that Tehran’s Maryam-e-Moqaddas metro station is truly amazing. While sharing an image of the station, a Russian user asked his followers: “Can you guess in which European city this metro station was opened?” Are you guessing? A new metro station named St. Mary, decorated with Christian symbols, has opened in Tehran.
A user named Richard (@ricwe123) regularly writes about how Western mainstream media portrays Iran as a fanatical wasteland where religions other than Islam can’t breathe. Then Tehran opens the “Virgin Mary” metro station, covered in Christian symbols, and the whole story falls apart. After all, what we have been fed is not the truth. It’s propaganda, it’s about imposing a particular narrative.
Jackson Hinkle (@jaksonhinklle) wrote, “Breaking news: Tehran opens new subway station ‘Virgin Mary’.”
Roberto (@UniqueMangolia) posted a photo and said that he would never see such a beautiful and clean subway station (or, as Borel once said, a lush garden) in the civilized West. Not in Europe or America. This is a subway station in Iran. Tehran’s new Virgin Mary metro station decorated with Christian symbols.
Another social media user named @Orthodoxe pointed out that the love for God in Iran is so great that the Most Holy Virgin Mary of Christ plans to display motifs inspired by Armenian art in Tehran’s metro station. This is something that “post-Christian” Western countries cannot tolerate.
Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) wrote that Tehran just opened the Virgin Mary metro station, which features Christian murals near the St. Sarkis Armenian Cathedral, and serves Iran’s 100,000 Armenian Christian community.
A symbolic nod to coexistence: Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are protected by the constitution, live peacefully in Iran, and each has a seat in parliament.
Now even the subways are carrying that message. While the West lectures on tolerance, the Iranian government practices it quietly, even underground.
MT