Holy Mary Subway Station: A Symbol of Religious Coexistence in the Heart of Tehran – – WANA News Agency

WANA (Oct 18) – Amid the busy lines of the Tehran subway, a newly inaugurated station with a unique name has drawn public attention: “The Holy Mary Metro Station.”
 
A name that might seem unexpected to many Western observers, for in a country with a Muslim majority, the opening of a station with such a title carries a clear message: Iran is a land that respects diverse religions.
 
The walls of this station are adorned with depictions of Saint Mary and Jesus (peace be upon him) — designs inspired by Iranian religious art, symbolizing mutual respect among the followers of the Abrahamic religions.
An Iranian worker cleans inside the Holy Virgin Mary subway station during its opening ceremony in Tehran, Iran, October 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
This cultural initiative, in the view of many observers, goes beyond a mere urban gesture; it presents a different image of Iran to the world — one contrary to what Western media have long sought to portray.
 
Richard, a user, wrote on X: “All the time, Western mainstream media is telling us how Iran is some fanatic wasteland where religion other than Islam can’t breathe. Then Tehran opens a “Holy Virgin Mary” subway station, covered in Christian symbols, and the whole story falls apart. Turns out, what we’ve been fed isn’t the truth, it’s propaganda, to push a certain narrative.”
 
Another user named Matthew Andersen also wrote on X: “Crazy that Iran has more respect for Christianity and Christian icons than Israel ever has. They’ve been lying to us.”
 
WANA (Jun 16) – After the October 7, 2023, attack and Israel’s bloody response in Gaza, tensions spread beyond the Middle East, and a new wave of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism swept through the streets and universities of both the West and the East.   Protests that began with the slogan “Ceasefire” soon took on a […]
 
While in many countries even the use of religious symbols in public spaces is considered controversial, in Iran, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians have lived side by side for centuries.
 
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran also recognizes this coexistence: religious minorities not only freely observe their own rituals, but also have official representatives in the Iranian Parliament — something rarely seen in many nations that claim to uphold religious democracy.
 
Numerous historical examples confirm this reality — from the ancient churches of Isfahan and Urmia to the Zoroastrian fire temples of Yazd and the active synagogues in Tehran.
Iranian Jews attend a Jewish worship service in a synagogue in Tehran, Iran, November 30, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
While many religious minorities across the Middle East have been forced to leave their homelands due to pressure and discrimination, Iran remains one of the few countries in the region that has preserved its religious diversity.
 
From this perspective, the opening of the “Holy Virgin Mary” Station is not merely an urban project; it is a cultural and peace-oriented response to the negative propaganda long used by the West — a narrative that has sought for decades to portray Iran as a closed and intolerant nation.
 
Another foreign user named Roberto also praised the station’s architecture and wrote on X: “You will never see such beauty & such a clean Metro station in civilized West (flourishing garden as Borrell once said), neither in Europe nor in the United States. This is an Iranian Metro station. A new “Holy Virgin Mary” Metro station in Tehran, decorated with Christian symbols.”
A general view of the Holy Virgin Mary subway station during its opening ceremony in Tehran, Iran, October 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Iranian Christian users also reacted on social media to the opening of this station:
Nazanin, a Christian girl living in Tehran, wrote on Instagram: “I pass through this route every day. It feels really good when you see the image of Saint Mary in the middle of the Tehran Metro. It’s truly a source of pride.”
 
Parisa, a Christian girl living in Isfahan, wrote on X: “This station carries a clear message: Iran is not only a country for Muslims, but for all followers of religions who consider themselves Iranian.”
 
This station is the 25th station of Tehran subway Line 6, located at the intersection of Karim Khan Zand Street and Ostad Nejatollahi Street, near the Saint Sarkis Cathedral.
The entrance of the Holy Virgin Mary subway station next to the Saint Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Tehran, Iran, October 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
Its construction began in 2015 during the tenure of Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The interior design of the station was inspired by church architecture and Christian religious aesthetics.
 
According to Abdolmotahhar Mohammadkhani, the spokesperson of the Tehran Municipality, this initiative reflects the municipality’s attention to cultural and religious diversity in the capital.
 
With the inauguration of “Mary the Blessed Station,” Iran has once again demonstrated that interfaith dialogue is not merely a slogan, but a part of the country’s historical identity.
 
From the Achaemenid era to the present day, the spirit of coexistence and respect for others’ beliefs has been woven into the fabric of Iranian culture — a culture that, even in the underground corridors of the Tehran subway, displays itself with beauty and serenity.
A member of the Saint Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Cathedral visits the Holy Virgin Mary subway station during its opening ceremony in Tehran, Iran, October 18, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)
WANA News Agency
West Asia News Agency strives to provide foreign audiences with news from Iran with a novel view and narrative. As a service provider with decades of experience, our foremost mission is to present the world-class services to foreign media and press.
Enter your email to receive the latest news
WANA . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2023

source