There seems to be a shared frustration about Dzordzor in the group. I also did not get to see it during my visit. As previous reviewers have already tackled a great deal about St. Stephanos and St. Thaddeus monasteries, I'd like to focus on Chupan Chapel, which is conveniently located on the way to St. Stephanos from Jolfa, and Darrasham Chapel (AKA Church of the Holy Mother of God), both components of the St. Stephanos Monastic Ensemble. After visiting the monastery, the driver of the rented car took it upon himself to drive us further to check Darrasham Chapel, of which Solivagant was right when he said that it lies in the "no photography zone". Apparently locals can go near the structure and some, as suggested by a few rubbish, even use the area for picnics. Among the three components of the ensemble, this chapel boasts the best setting in my opinion: deep in the valley, directly along the river (where one literally stares at the border fence), and surrounded by flowers (in the right season). One can rightly liken it to be from an idyllic countryside painting. Darrasham Chapel is supposed to be a village chapel, but there is hardly any sign of habitation in sight. Lying around the chapel are rubble, and it is hard to tell if they were from any previous significant structures. There seems to be little information about them. The structure is not in the best condition, in fact one may call it a ruin, and it boasts little in terms of artistic and architectural interest. We were careful in taking photos, snapping as little as possible so as not to expose ourselves from serious inconveniences. Chupan Chapel, on the other hand, lies high on the side of the mountain. The climb does not take much from the designated parking area below and it does not take a lot time to explore it. It was closed during our visit, as it is usually the case as I had been told, but one can peek through to see the inside. Chupan Chapel acted as a auxiliary chapel for shepherds. Since the main monastery is still far away, devotees can take refuge there and use it for their prayers. The view of the valley from the chapel is not disappointing. Local legends say that Chupan Chapel was built by two brothers, and that another chapel was built right across the river in Azerbaijan territory. However, there is hardly anything on the other side that could indicate that the supposed other chapel existed.

This serial property stands as a testament to the tolerance of the rather conservative Iran to monuments of other religions, in this case the Armenian Orthodox. The story of this "tolerance" goes way back in time, and images of Armenians holding hands with Persians even exist in the Apadana reliefs in Persepolis. While the divine Vank Cathedral in Esfahan was constructed at a later time, the proposed extension to include it seems practical, logical, and inevitable. 

Overall, I'd like to think that the monuments that comprise the monastic ensemble of St. Stephanos have very interesting spatial orientations: Chupan chapel is located high on the slope of the mountain; the Darrasham chapel is at the lowest point of the canyon, right beside the Araxes; and the main monastery, walled and fortified, nestles deeper in the greenery of the mountains. There is a museum inside St. Stephanos monastery that holds artifacts recovered from the two chapels. Architecturally, there is more to say about Stephanos than St. Thaddeus, this may be the case as it was constructed at the peak of the cultural confluences that took place in the region. Some of the paintings inside were carried out by celebrated Armenian painter Hovannes Zardaryan.