Construction on the Maryam-e Moghaddas station, located near the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis, has been completed.
In addition to decorative elements evoking Christian symbolism by linking it to Muslim tradition, it will also feature a 2.5-meter [8 ft.] tall statue of the Virgin Mary.
In recent days, Iranian and international media have reported the news of the upcoming inauguration of a metro station in the capital, currently undergoing renovations and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
It is a sign of openness and welcome, according to some, but for critics, it is nothing more than an act of propaganda, with no regard for minorities, including the Christian minority.
Construction began around 2015 and encountered numerous challenges, particularly from a technical perspective, related to the urban density of the center of the Iranian capital.
The station is buried 34 meters [111.5 ft.] underground and covers a constructed area of approximately 11,000 square meters [36,000 sq. ft.].
Over 100,000 cubic meters [328,000 cu. ft.] of earth were excavated during construction.
Located near the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis in central Tehran, the St. Mary (Maryam-e Moghaddas) station features large reliefs of Jesus and Mary.
"It was built," wrote the capital's mayor, Alireza Zakani, in a message published in recent days on X, "to honor St. Mary and to demonstrate the coexistence of divine religions in Tehran."
Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins, notes that "the creation of this urban transport system dates back to 1999" and continues to expand.
Line 6 is more recent: it was "inaugurated in 2019, and with the imminent opening of the 'Santa Maria' station, it will now include 25 stations over a little more than 30 km [18.5 miles]," he explains.
This station was initially named after a young Iranian student, Nejatollahi, who died in a protest in 1979.
In the first quarter of 2025, "the municipal authorities finally decided to rename the station, keeping the student's name in parentheses," Cardinal Mathieu explains.
The entrance to the station is located near the park that already bears the name of St. Mary and houses the Armenian Cultural Center.
It is located opposite the Armenian Catholic Church of St. Sarkis, the only church in the capital open to all, even outside of religious services.
But the regime could not simply make this station a Christian station.
Even though "the station's lighting and sober colors aim to recreate the peaceful atmosphere of this church," as the cardinal says, "ornamental elements evoking Christian symbolism have been integrated into bas-reliefs, linking them to Quranic texts, Muslim tradition, Persian poetry, as well as the statements of Imam Khomeini and the current Supreme Leader."
Mathieu wants to see this station as "an expression of gratitude to the country's largest ethnic and religious minority, the Armenians."
The latter "have also shown their gratitude by offering, thanks to one of their benefactors, a 2.5-meter [8 ft.] tall stone statue representing the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her arms."