Church · Vagharshapat, Vagharshapat community, Armavir
Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Էջմիածնի Մայր Տաճար · Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin · Echmiadzin Cathedral · Ejmiatsin Cathedral
The mother cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Vagharshapat, built according to the chronicler Agathangelos after a vision of St Gregory the Illuminator and rebuilt in 483–484.
Where it is
40.1619, 44.2910
Why go
The cathedral is the centrepiece of a World Heritage property rather than a stand-alone listing: the Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots also takes in the nearby churches of St Hripsime, St Gayane and Shoghakat and the ruins of Zvartnots. Together, UNESCO says, they trace the development of the Armenian central-domed church. The bell tower was finished in 1657–1658. After a long renovation the cathedral was re-consecrated in September 2024 and is again open to worshippers and visitors. Set aside time for the other churches in town, and pair the visit with Zvartnots on the way back to Yerevan.
Near Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Church
Saint Gayane Church
Built in 630 under Catholicos Ezr I within walking distance of Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Saint Gayane joins a three-aisled basilica to a central dome, and its arched western portico shelters the graves of senior clergy.
0 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Shoghakat Church
Shoghakat, meaning 'drop of light', is a domed single-nave church of 1694 near Saint Hripsime in Vagharshapat, built by Prince Aghamal Sorotetsi where tradition places the martyrdom of Hripsime's companions.
1 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Saint Hripsime Church
Catholicos Komitas's church of 618 on the eastern edge of Vagharshapat, raised over the tomb of the martyr Hripsime on a plan of four apses with niches between them and rooms in the corners.
2 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Metsamor Archaeological Site and Museum
An excavated fortress-settlement on a hill beside the Metsamor river near Taronik, occupied from the Bronze Age onwards, with a site museum showing finds from the Early Bronze Age to the late Middle Ages.
10 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ