Azerbaijani film included in Argentine festival's main programme PHOTO

Rufat Asadov's documentary feature film "The Way to the Temple" has been included in the main program of the International Christian Film Festival in Argentina.

The film has previously been presented at the Vatican, Trend reports.

The film is about historical religious tolerance in Azerbaijan and the hero's search for himself. The main character was played by Shahin Sarkarov.

Filming took place in the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, among architectural monuments, the Monastery complex of Seven Churches and Kyurmuk (Kürmük) Temple.

The Kyurmuk Temple is situated on the top of a green hill. The road to it leads through a thick forest, along a well-trodden path. Kyurmuk Church was built on the ruins of an ancient Albanian monastery from the early Middle Ages. Archaeological excavations in 2006 uncovered the remains of ancient structures on the territory of the temple. It was also found that being an Albanian temple of the early Middle Ages (I-III centuries), this structure had been restored in various historical periods. The temple is a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people, an example of the fact that by embracing the monotheistic religions of Christianity and Islam, the locals have not forgotten their ancient belief system.

The Monastery Complex of Seven Churches (Yeddi Kilsə) is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus and is a Caucasian Albanian Apostolic Monastery. It is located at the highest northern point of the village of Lyakit, in a forest on the road leading from Lyakit to Kotuklu (Kötüklü). This complex differs from other religious architectural monuments in Azerbaijan by its unique layout. The monastery was named "Yeddi Kilsə" as it consists of 7 main buildings. There are two large churches, which probably functioned as main churches, and five small chapels. Some scholars believe that the complex was built in the IV-V (according to other sources V-VII) centuries, during the heyday of Christianity in Caucasian Albania.