Excursion to St. Etchmiadzin (Cathedral, churches of St. Gayane and Hripsime) - Zvartnots Temple

Echmiadzin Cathedral

Vagharshapat is a city in the Armavir region of Armenia, one of the most significant cultural and religious centers of the country.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral - the main temple of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the throne of the Supreme Patriarch Catholicos of All Armenians in 303-484, and again since 1441. Since 2000 it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.

The construction of the cathedral is associated with the name of King Trdat III and Catholicos Saint Gregory the Illuminator. According to legend, Trdat III ordered 37 nun sisters to be stoned, after which he went crazy. One of the Christian prisoners named Gregory (who became known as Gregory the Illuminator) cured him and converted him to Christianity, after which the entire population of Armenia followed the example of their ruler. The place for the temple was indicated to Gregory the Illuminator by Jesus Christ himself, which is where the name comes from. Previously, pagan rituals and worship of local gods were held here.

St. Gayane Church

St. Gayane Church is part of the Etchmiadzin Monastery. Since 2000, the church has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The church was built from tuff in 630 on the site of a chapel of the 4th century by order of Catholicos Ezra I, on the site of the martyrdom of Abbess Gayane.

From that time to the present day, the appearance of the building and its interior decoration have remained virtually unchanged. The church is quite unusual for its time. It's hard to believe that this is the 7th century. Only during the reconstruction of the 17th century were the dome and ceilings partially changed. In 1652 the temple was completely renovated. In 1688, a gallery was added to its western facade - the burial place of the hierarchs of the Armenian church.

A mural from the 17th century has been preserved above the western entrance. on the theme of the birth of Christ. In the southern aisle of the temple, next to the altar apse, rest the relics of St. Gayane.

In the 19th century, the abbot of the monastery built a school here, where he himself taught, created a printing house and published the magazine “School”.

St. Hripsime Church

St. Hripsime Church (VII century) was built on the site of an ancient pagan temple where St. Hripsime was tortured and killed. In 395, the Catholicos of Armenia, Saint Sahak, restored the Hripsime Chapel. In 618, Catholicos Komitas Akhtsetsi destroyed the old chapel, as it was “low and dark.” In its place, he built a new temple, which successfully survived the earthquake of 1679 and still stands.

The church is part of the Echmiadzin Monastery and has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000. The main attraction of the temple is the tomb of Saint Hripsime, which is located in the crypt under the altar.

According to legend, they wanted to force the young and beautiful Hripsime to marry the Roman Emperor Diocletian. She and Abbess Gayane, together with other nuns, decided to flee from the tyrant emperor and arrived in Armenia. After refusing to marry the king, Hripsime was tortured and ended her life as a martyr on the site of this church. The temple is considered a masterpiece of Armenian architecture.

Zvartnots Temple

Zvartnots Temple, which translated from ancient Armenian means “Temple of the Vigilant Angels” - a temple of early medieval Armenian architecture, located near Yerevan and Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). In 2000, the ruins of the temple and the archaeological area around it were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

According to the Armenian historian Sebeos, it was built under Catholicos Nerses III the Builder in the 7th century, who planned to move his residence from Dvin to Vagharshapat. Nerses III is also credited with building structures at Dvin and Khor Virap and a church similar to Zvartnots in his home village of Ishkhan in Tayka. In 652, the Byzantine Emperor Constant II attended the consecration ceremony of the colossal temple, who wished to build the same one in Constantinople.

In the 10th century, the temple collapsed during an earthquake due to the weakness of the supports of the second tier. The ruins of Zvartnots were discovered by excavations in 1901-1907. To date, the first tier has been almost completely reconstructed.

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The cost of the tour includes:
- comfortable transport service;
- the service of an accompanying guide throughout the tour;

Tour cost does not include:
-food;
- personal expenses;
- museum at the Cathedral – 1500 drams per person (about $3.5);
- Zvartnots Temple – 1500 drams per person (about $3.5);

Conditions for order cancellation:
If a tourist cancels an excursion in less than 3 days – penalty 100%