Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Vagharshapat)
Considered the oldest cathedral in the world, founded around 301–303 AD, and the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
About
Etchmiadzin lies in the town of Vagharshapat, in a walled complex of gardens, seminary buildings and churches. The cathedral itself is a cross-shaped building with a central dome, and a freestanding bell tower in front of it.
Inside are painted ceilings and an altar of rich colour. A museum in the complex holds a treasury of religious objects, among them relics and the lance associated with Geghard. The nearby churches of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane are worth a walk.
History
According to tradition, Gregory the Illuminator had a vision in which Christ descended from heaven and struck the ground with a golden hammer, showing where the cathedral should stand; the name Etchmiadzin means the descent of the Only-Begotten. The first church was built in 301–303, shortly after Armenia adopted Christianity, and it is often called the oldest cathedral in the world. The present building is largely from 483, when it was rebuilt under Vahan Mamikonian, with later changes, such as the dome in the seventh century and the bell tower in the 1650s. The seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians was moved to Etchmiadzin in 1441, and it has been the centre of the church ever since. The cathedral, together with the churches of Hripsime and Gayane and the ruins of Zvartnots, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2000. The town itself, historically called Vagharshapat, was a capital of Armenia in the second century.
UNESCO World Heritage: Inscribed 2000.