Wender·Vista
Vank Cathedral
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIran
in the Armenian quarter of New Julfa, Isfahan

Vank Cathedral

— — the frescoes the Shah let his Armenians keep.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The Holy Savior Cathedral in New Julfa, the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, finished in 1664. Inside, the walls and dome carry frescoes that work in two languages at once: Persian floral tile patterns along the lower registers, biblical scenes above. The cathedral was built by the Armenian community that Shah Abbas resettled here from old Julfa on the Aras in 1606.

from the studio
Vank Cathedral
— bring it home

Vank Cathedral, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Vank Cathedral

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Vank Cathedral, formally the Holy Savior Cathedral, stands in the New Julfa district of Isfahan, on the south bank of the Zayandeh River. The cathedral was begun under Shah Abbas I in 1606 and completed under Shah Abbas II in 1664. New Julfa was founded as the Armenian quarter when the Safavid court resettled some 150,000 Armenian merchants and craftsmen from the old town of Julfa, on the Aras river, to Isfahan. Thirteen of the original twenty-four Armenian churches in the district still stand.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the stone

The cathedral pairs a Safavid-era exterior of brick and tile with a thoroughly Armenian Apostolic interior. The dome is low and broad in the Persian manner; inside, the walls carry frescoes finished in the 1660s and 1670s by artists trained in Isfahan ateliers. The lower band uses Persian flora and arabesque; the middle and upper bands tell the Genesis cycle and the Last Judgment in Armenian-Byzantine style. A separate museum on the grounds holds early Armenian printed books, including a Bible printed in 1638.

— informed by Encyclopaedia Iranica
— the visit

The cathedral complex is open daily except major holy days, typically 8:00 to 17:00 with shorter Sunday hours around the liturgy. Modest dress is required and head coverings are provided. The grounds include the cathedral, the museum, a bell tower added in 1702, and a memorial to the Armenian Genocide. New Julfa is a short taxi ride from the Si-o-se-pol bridge in central Isfahan. The neighbourhood remains a working Armenian quarter with active churches, cafes, and bakeries.

— informed by Visit Iran
— where
Iran · New Julfa, Isfahan
— position
32.6354° N · 51.6685° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
2 km N
Si-o-se-pol
Safavid bridge
3 km NE
Khaju Bridge
Safavid bridge
4 km N
Naqsh-e Jahan Square
square
N
Vank Cathedral
Si-o-se-pol
Khaju Bridge
Naqsh-e Jahan Square
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Vank Cathedral — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Vank is the Armenian Apostolic Holy Savior Cathedral in the New Julfa quarter of Isfahan, Iran. It was begun in 1606 under Shah Abbas I and completed in 1664 under Shah Abbas II.

Shah Abbas I resettled the Armenian merchants and craftsmen of Julfa on the Aras to Isfahan in 1606, founding New Julfa as their quarter. The cathedral served the community he relocated.

The interior walls and dome carry frescoes from the 1660s and 1670s telling the Genesis cycle and the Last Judgment in Armenian-Byzantine style, set above lower bands of Safavid Persian arabesque.

The Vank museum holds early Armenian manuscripts and printed books, including a 1638 Bible printed in New Julfa on the first press in Iran. It also displays liturgical objects and community records.

Yes. Vank remains the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Diocese of Isfahan and southern Iran, with regular liturgy and an active community of several thousand Armenians in the quarter.

The free-standing bell tower in front of the cathedral was added in 1702, nearly forty years after the church itself was finished. Its bell is one of the few publicly rung church bells in Iran.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers in both diasporas; the cathedral belongs to both stories at once. A Small with a handwritten studio note works for a desk; a Medium suits a hallway or reading corner.

The deep blues and gold ochres of the artwork suit jewel-tone maximalist, warm traditional, and library-feel rooms. The piece reads as icon and architecture together, which gives it formal range.

The palette aligns with the jewel-tone and warm-traditional revival strong since 2024: saturated colour, layered pattern, weight. The art holds up against bold fabric and reads as architecture rather than decoration.

A single Large carries a standard sofa or console. A 4-tile Mural at 24 by 24 inches reads as one composition; a 9-tile Mural anchors a long dining wall.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for any wet room. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and the colour lives in the surface, so the tile cleans without special care.

A microfibre cloth and water is all that's needed. For kitchen grease, a drop of mild dish soap on a damp cloth, then a dry pass. No abrasives.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our Knoxville studio under the eye of Reid Wender. We don't license or resell, and each tile is hand-finished before it ships.

— if this one stayed with you

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