The city where the monastery complex is located has two names - Echmiadzin and Vagharshapat. It was Vagharshapat that was called in those days when it was the capital of Armenia. At the end of the 3rd century, on the orders of Tsar Trdat III, 35 holy maiden-ripsimians, who fled here from the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian, were martyred here. After that, Trdat fell ill with a serious illness, from which he was cured by the preaching of Christianity, Gregory the Illuminator, who was released from prison in the city of Artashat, where he spent 15 years. The king repented of his sins and agreed to adopt Christianity as the state religion of Armenia.
According to legend, after the baptism of Armenia, Saint Gregory the Illuminator had a vision - the Lord struck the earth with a golden hammer and a golden altar rose up here: a pillar of fire emanated from it, and a radiant cross shone above the pillar. An angel also appeared to Saint Gregory, explaining the meaning of the vision - in the place indicated by the Lord, the main temple of Armenia should be erected.
In 303, a cathedral was built there, originally called Katoghike and dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos. The term "Katoghike" means in the Armenian language the universal, the cathedral, the first throne. The title of the head of the Armenian Church "Catholicos" also comes from this word.
In the difficult Armenian history, there was a period when the throne of the Catholicos left Etchmiadzin - from 484 to 1441. After the fall of the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia in 1441, Etchmiadzin again became the center of the Armenian church. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Iranian ruler Abbas I wanted to move the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in parts to Isfahan, where he resettled thousands of Armenians. However, these plans were not destined to materialize.
Etchmiadzin - impregnable tabernacle
Like the whole of Armenia, the danger of destruction hung over Etchmiadzin many times. So, during the dramatic events of the Russian-Persian war, the monastery, where the wounded Russian soldiers took refuge, was besieged by the Persians. With God's help, the Russian detachment of A. Krasovsky, together with the Armenian militias, defeated the 15 times superior Persian forces in the battle of Oshakan and entered Etchmiadzin. During the battle, Archbishop of Etchmiadzin Nerses Ashtaraketsi, along with all the clergy, residents and soldiers, prayed on their knees for victory in front of the Holy Spear.
In 1828 Eastern Armenia was liberated from the Persians. In 1918, during the Armenian-Turkish war, the Turkish hordes stood a few kilometers from Etchmiadzin and were about to complete the Armenian genocide. Despite the mortal danger, the Catholicos of All Armenians Gevorg V Surenyants refused to leave Etchmiadzin and ordered to arm the clergy to participate in the battle against the Turks: the detachment in which the clergy fought consisted of 300 people.
On May 21-24, 1918, the battle of Sardarapat took place, in which the Armenians defeated the enemy and threw him back from the walls of Holy Etchmiadzin. In the future, success was consolidated: Armenia was saved from destruction and on May 28, 1918, revived its statehood after an almost 600-year break.
The name of Etchmiadzin, which is translated from the old Armenian language as "the place of the Descent of the Only Begotten", was assigned to the cathedral and the monastery created around it. Initially, the cathedral was a wooden basilica. In the 5th-7th centuries, the temple was rebuilt in stone, after which it acquired a cross-domed form. The modern dome was made in the 17th century, at the same time a bell tower was added to the cathedral.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Hovnatan Nagash, the founder of the outstanding Armenian family of talented painters Ovnatanyans, worked on the painting of the interior of the cathedral. Subsequently, his descendants continued to work on the decoration of the temple. In 1782-1786. Hovnatan Hovnatanyan updated and added to the murals of the cathedral, made by his grandfather. He also painted over 100 paintings of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, saints and biblical scenes. A large number of paintings still adorn the Etchmiadzin Cathedral.
Later, six-column rotundas were added to the temple on three sides. In the last century, the cathedral was restored. In the cathedral you can see an icon depicting 1.5 million Armenian victims of the genocide of 1915-1923, canonized by the Armenian Church in 2015.
The main altar, as in all Armenian churches, is located on the eastern side of the temple. There are three more altars in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral: two are located in the southern and northern parts, and the third was erected on the very spot where the Lord struck with a golden hammer.
Etchmiadzin itself is a shrine of the Armenian Church and a symbol of Armenia. It is no coincidence that there is a unique day of the cathedral in her calendar. A holiday celebrated annually on the Sunday 64 days after Easter. During the Holy Liturgy, a sharakan (spiritual hymn) “The Only Begotten Has Descended” sounds, telling about the vision of Gregory the Illuminator and the foundation of the temple. Sharakan was written in the 8th century.
Treasury of Holy Etchmiadzin
The treasury of Holy Etchmiadzin is located in the premises attached to the temple in the late 60s of the XIX century. In the treasury, you can bow to the main shrine of the Armenian Church - the tip of the Holy Spear, with which the Roman centurion Longinus pierced the side of Jesus Christ on the cross. The tip was brought to Armenia by the holy Apostle Thaddeus, who together with the Apostle Bartholomew are considered the first preachers of Christianity and the founders of the Armenian Church. For many centuries, the relic was kept in the Geghard monastery, later it was transferred to Etchmiadzin, where even now it is carefully kept in a special enclosure.
The treasure also contains:
- a particle of Noah's Ark, sent down by God to Bishop Hakob of Nizibinsk on the slopes of Mount Ararat in the 5th century,
- a particle of the Holy, Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord,
- the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called and other apostles,
- St. Stephen the First Martyr, St. Gregory the Illuminator and other revered common Christian saints.
The treasury contains handwritten Gospels, ancient robes of clergy, crosses and church utensils, filigree decorated with precious stones. The treasury has the status of a museum, the cost of visiting it is 1000 drams (about $ 2): you can buy a ticket at the box office, which is located next to the cathedral. The museum is open every day, except Monday, on Sunday it begins its work after the end of the Holy Liturgy - at about 14.00.
What else to see in the vicinity of the Etchmiadzin Monastery
On the territory of the Etchmiadzin Monastery there are numerous buildings - architectural monuments.
- Opposite the entrance to the cathedral is the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians (1738-1741).
- The Etchmiadzin Theological Seminary is the largest institution of higher education of the Armenian Church: its students live and study in the Etchmiadzin Monastery. Komitas, the greatest Armenian composer of the early 20th century, who received the rank of archimandrite, studied at this seminary. The monument to Komitas is located on the main square of Vagharshapat.
- Echmiadzin Printing House, built in 1772
- The Church of the Holy Archangels was built recently - in 2011.
From the main gate, laid on the site of the palace of King Trdat and bearing his name, an alley of ancient khachkars (stones in the form of crosses), brought from different regions of historical Armenia, leads to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. The adjacent squares of the monastery are beautifully landscaped: there is a cozy park.
Temples of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane in Etchmiadzin
In the vicinity of the Etchmiadzin Monastery, there are the churches of St. Hripsime (618) and St. Gayane (630), built on the places where the saints found their martyrdom. The relics of the holy virgins, especially revered by Armenians, as well as Christians of other countries, rest in the crypts of the churches.
Hripsime, Gayane and 35 other girls were novices of the monastery of St. Paul, located not far from Rome. Having learned about the beauty of Hripsime, Emperor Diocletian wants to take her as his wife, but she does not obey him and remains faithful to Christ. The nuns fled to Egypt, and from there to Armenia. This country was indicated by the Most Holy Theotokos in Hripsime's vision.
King Trdat, having learned from Diocletian's letter that the girls settled on the outskirts of the Armenian capital, also wanted to marry Hripsime. Having received a refusal, he tried to force the eldest of the nuns, Gayane, to persuade Hripsime to agree. But Gayane strengthened Hripsime even more in her decision, and then Trdat orders the execution of the girls. They endured the most severe torture and were martyred in Vagharshapat: only two nuns managed to escape - their names were Mane and Nune. Nune is better known as Saint Nina, the Enlightener of Georgia.
The death of the martyrs opened the way for Armenia to adopt Christianity, and now Holy Liturgies are held on the days of the memory of the holy virgins Hripsime and Gayane. St. Gregory discovered the relics of the holy virgins, and built wooden chapels on the site of their burial, rebuilt in the 7th century into stone churches and preserved in Etchmiadzin to our time. In 1694, the temple of Surb-Shoghakat was erected.
Churches amaze with their monumentality and amazing simplicity, which brings us back to early Christian times. The temples became the embodiment in stone of that love for God, which conquered cruelty and pride. The austere stones of the Church of St. Hripsime are filled with the warmth of thousands of years of prayers, and this warmth warms the soul so much that even in severe frost in the church you do not feel the cold.
The belfry was attached to the temple by Armenian standards "recently" - at the end of the 18th century. Saint Gayane Church was supplemented with a narthex - an arcade with belfries - in the 17th century. When you are in this temple, it seems that from the inside it is even larger than from the outside, and its massive vaults, instead of suppressing their scale, take you up - to the dome, penetrated by light, in an incomprehensible way penetrating through small narrow windows, but capable of illuminating and to sanctify even the darkest corners of the nature of the person who entered here.
It is impossible to achieve such an effect only through accurate calculations, which distinguishes Armenian architecture from other architectural traditions. In Armenia, architecture has truly become not an end in itself, but a means of conveying spiritual values and spiritual communication.
The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, the temples of St. Gayane and St. Hripsime are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Etchmiadzin Monastery
Echmiadzin - the monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church; location of the throne of the Supreme Patriarch of the Catholicos of All Armenians in 303-484, and again from 1441. Located in the city of Vagharshapat, Armavir region, Armenia. Included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Story
Echmiadzin, whose former name was Vagharshapat, was founded in the first half of the 2nd century on the site of the ancient settlement of Vardgesavan. Since 163, after the destruction of Artashat by the Romans, the city became the political, cultural, and then the religious and educational center of the country.
In 301 Christianity became the state religion of Armenia.
According to legend, the first patriarch Grigor Lusavorich (Illuminator) dreamed that the only-begotten, that is, Christ, descended from heaven with a fiery hammer in his hands and indicated the place for the construction of the cathedral. On this place in 303, where there was an ancient pagan temple, a church was founded, called Etchmiadzin, which in Armenian means “the place of the descent of the Only-begotten”.
Since Armenia was often deprived of statehood, the role of the supreme religious head of all Armenians, the Catholicos, increased more and more. Therefore, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, as the most permanent center of the country's spiritual power, although often destroyed, was also improved more than other monasteries.
In the 15th century, an open porch of the main entrance was added to the western part of the church, above which a bell tower with magnificent architectural decoration towered. At the same time, the interior walls of the cathedral were decorated. The decoration of the cathedral was completed in 1786 by the talented artist Hovnatanyan.
In addition to ornaments and other decorations, the artist painted many scenes on the themes of Holy Scripture, made more than 120 portraits with images of saints and apostles, and restored many old ones. During the following years, many of the frescoes were destroyed.
A thorough restoration was carried out in the 20th century. The columns and arches supporting the dome were strengthened, and the dome itself was lined with lead. A new altar was built from marble. The floor of the church was also paved with marble. The murals inside the temple were updated and supplemented.
What to watch
A rare feature of the cathedral is that in addition to the main altar in its eastern part, there are three more altars. Two of them are respectively located in the southern and northern parts, and the third is not so much an altar as a holy place. According to legend, it was on this place that Christ descended in his appearance.
To store relics and gifts coming to the church, in 1869, premises were added to the cathedral, which now houses the museum. The museum contains holy relics, church clothes embroidered with gold and pearls, staves and crosses of Catholicos, numerous ritual objects made of gold, silver, and ivory. Here are the chairs of the Catholicoses, decorated with mother-of-pearl and ivory, and with figurines cast in silver. Etchmiadzin also kept the most ancient examples of the art of the past. There were both ancient manuscripts and miniatures, which were later transported to Yerevan.
To the left of the entrance to the territory of the monastery is the Etchmiadzin printing house, founded in 1772, and to the right are the cells of the monks.
There are many khachkars on the territory of the monastery. Among them are Amenaprkich (1279), and a khachkar XVII, transported from the cemetery of Staraya Dzhuga, and a recently installed modern khachkar - to the victims of the 1915 genocide.
Echmiadzin is the residence of the Armenian Patriarch, the Catholicos of all Armenians. His palace is located in the courtyard of the monastery. At the entrance to the residence of the Catholicos, the “Gate of Trdat” rises. Although they were rebuilt many times, stone blocks of the 4th century were preserved at their base. It is believed that the palace of the Armenian kings was located on the site of this gate.
On the territory of the monastery complex is also the Theological Academy of St. Etchmiadzin. It is the only educational institution of its kind in the world. There are few listeners - only 50 people. Here, the following subjects are mainly studied: logic, rhetoric, psychology, world history, philosophy and languages. Of the languages, ancient Greek, Russian, English, Armenian are especially carefully studied - both modern and old Armenian.
The first Armenian school was also opened at the monastery.
On the territory of Etchmiadzin there is also a seminary building built in the 19th century. The great composer Komitas taught here, and now there is an art museum bearing his name. A collection of works by major artists of the 20th century is exhibited here: Saryan, Khanjyan, Kochar.
Other churches of Etchmiadzin
Etchmiadzin is also called the city of churches. This is not in vain: in addition to the Etchmiadzin Monastery, there are three more ancient monuments here. According to legend, these temples were erected in honor of the martyrs - the first Christian women who fled from Rome from the persecution of the emperor. These are temples: Surb Hripsime, Surb Gayane and Surb Shoghakat.
Surb Hripsime Church was built in 618. This is a slender and majestic building. Inside the church has the shape of a rectangle in which a cross is inscribed, formed by four semicircular apses. Chapels are located in the four corners. From one of them you can enter the crypt located under the altar, where, according to legend, Hripsime was buried. The decoration of the building is very modest. In 1790, a two-tiered bell tower with an eight-columned belfry was added to it. In the narthex of the church are stored, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, the altar gates of 1741.
The temple of Surb Gayane was built in 630 on the site of a 4th-century chapel. It is one of the best monuments of Armenian architecture. The exterior of the temple is distinguished by its slender proportions. The laconic and austere building of the church is decorated only with ornaments on floral motifs located on the frames of doors and windows. The rectangular room of the church is divided from the inside by two rows of columns into three parts. The columns are designed to carry the weight of the dome, which rests on a slender octagonal drum. In 1652 it was overhauled, and in 1683 a gallery was added to it for the burial of the hierarchs of the Armenian Church. On the extreme domes of the gallery there are graceful belfries. On the architectural details - ornamental carving. Above the entrance, there is a fresco of the 17th century depicting the birth of Christ.
Surb Shoghakat temple was erected in 1694. It is notable for its peculiar architecture, known as the "dome hall". The only door leading to the church opens from a vaulted gallery on the west side. The dome of the church is supported from the inside by only a few columns. Thanks to careful calculations, the builders calmly dispensed with intermediate supports. The vaulted gallery above the entrance is crowned with a six-columned belfry. The strict form of details and decoration has much in common with the structure of the main cathedral and the temple of St. Hripsime.
June 16th, 2014
The only currently inhabited city of ancient Armenia, Vagharshapat, the former Echmiadzin, named after the Echmiadzin Monastery, in 1992 again received its ancient name. Here is the residence of the Armenian Catholicos, this is the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the most sacred city for the Christians of Armenia, since it was here that Christianity was recognized as the state religion.
Vagharshapat is located 20 km west of Yerevan. Now it is a decent-sized city that has practically not preserved medieval street buildings, but many ancient churches have remained here that have become symbols of Armenian architecture - the Echmiadzin Cathedral, the churches of St. Hripsime and Gayane, next to Vagharshapat lie the ruins of the great Armenian cathedral Zvartnots. This post will be about these churches and the history of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.
The capital city of Vagharshapat was founded on the site of a small settlement Vardgesavan by King Vagharsh in the 2nd century BC. AD Until now, there is no clear understanding of what the structure of this capital of Armenia was, it is possible that the city had the shape of a circle, like many "round" Parthian cities in Iran, for example, Ctesiphon. We can definitely say that there was a citadel in the center of Vagharshapat, presumably its location coincides with today's Etchmiadzin Monastery. The capital was surrounded by high adobe fortifications, there is no trace of them now, in fact, only the remains of religious buildings have been preserved, partially included in the structure of the ancient churches of Vagharshapat. First of all, we are talking about the main cathedral of the city - Etchmiadzin.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral in the 19th century. 
Unfortunately, during my visit to the city, the cathedral was being restored. But some conclusions can be drawn about it. It is noticeable that the cathedral was rebuilt many times, the high status of the temple did not allow it to be neglected. Therefore, it does not smell of hoary antiquity, all its bell towers were erected in the 17th century, and the "antique" window frames even later.
It is believed that the cathedral was built in 303, immediately after the baptism of Armenia by St. Gregory. But then it was an ordinary basilica with a wooden roof. It was apparently completely destroyed during the Persian invasion in the 60s. 4 AD The cathedral was repeatedly restored and destroyed, the stone dome appeared in it only in the 7th century. In the 15th century, the residence of the Armenian Catholicos was transferred to Vagharshapat, and from that moment the cathedral was restored and modified continuously.
During excavations in the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, parts of other religious buildings, possibly a pagan temple, were found, and the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple were found in the main apse of the church. Interestingly, the Zoroastrian temple did not precede the first Christian basilica of Vagharshapat, but was created later, perhaps in the 5th-6th centuries, when Armenia fell under the rule of Sasanian Iran. This fact well illustrates the very difficult history of the Armenian Church.
It is officially believed that Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 during the reign of King Trdat III, this was facilitated by Gregory the Illuminator, who baptized the king. But the problem is that the whole history of the adoption of Christianity by Armenia, as usual, is incredibly mythologized. We know about these events only from church historians, so the history of the baptism of Armenians looks like the lives of saints with all the phantasmagories inherent in this type of literature.
The official version is that King Trdat, after committing many pagan atrocities, fell under the influence of St. Gregory and became a Christian. At the same time, the Armenian historical tradition tends to underestimate the importance of its ancient kings, but to elevate the status of the Armenian Catholicoses who lived with them at the same time. For example, rarely someone writes that some event happened under such and such a king, more often the reign of the corresponding catholicos will be indicated. There is an objective explanation for this - royal power in the 4th-5th centuries. was very weak, Armenia had long ago become a buffer state between Persia and Rome, so the religious - ideological leader, i.e. catholicos, not the political ruler of the state. Therefore, according to the official version of the Christianization of Armenia, its king ran around turning into a pig, and the good George the Illuminator saved him from this disease through baptism.
Most likely, both Tsar Trdat and Gregory the Illuminator (if he really existed, since most historians of the 5th century do not mention his name at all) were proteges of Rome, since both of them studied in their youth on the territory of the Roman Empire, Trdat directly in Rome itself , and St. Gregory in Caesarea Cappadocia. Therefore, the promotion of Christian ideology in Armenia could be associated with attempts to influence the Roman, and later the Byzantine, empire on the local Zoroastrian and pagan population. The difference in dates between the official recognition of Christianity in Rome and in Armenia is negligible, only a few years, so most researchers doubt the Armenian date - 301, most likely state recognition in Armenia occurred after 314, when Christianity received support in the Roman empire.
The adoption of Christianity is one of the most mysterious pages of Armenian history. As a rule, it is believed that tsars and emperors accepted the faith of Christ in order to strengthen their power, as it was in the Roman Empire under Constantine, so it was in Ancient Russia under Prince Vladimir, and as a rule, the goal of consolidating the state was achieved. But in Armenia it was not so.
Unlike prosperous Russia, after the adoption of Christianity (301-314), the Armenian state ceased to exist after a hundred years (in 428 the Persians abolished royal power in Armenia), and problems began already in the reign of Trdat III the Holy - in 330 year he was poisoned by nakharars (Armenian aristocratic princes). Around the same time, the capital was captured by the Mazkut tribes, and in the 360s the city of Vagharshapat was razed to the ground by the Persians.
The relations between the tsar and the Catholicoses also developed in an interesting way. In theory, the Catholicosate was supposed to support the ruler, but in practice, the Armenian Church became a state within a state, where the Catholicoses passed on their power by inheritance. Tsars and church patriarchs competed in killing each other, almost none of them died a natural death. King Tigran VII killed Patriarch Iusik, King Pap poisoned St. Nerses. In turn, St. Nerses blessed the friendly nakharars to exterminate the population of the city of Arshakavan, created by King Arshak II to strengthen the central government. As in Western Europe, the Armenian kings tried to seek support in the population of cities, but the cities in Armenia became less and less. Through the efforts of militant aristocrats, churches and Persians, almost all the cities of Ancient Armenia were destroyed. By the time of the Arab conquest, only one large city remained in Armenia - Dvin, the existence of which was supported by the marzban sitting there, the Persian governor, who was already replaced by the governor of the Caliphate.
Despite the fact that the bell tower was built in the 17th century, it was decorated with decorative elements typical of the Seljuk era in the form of woven snakes and stalactite cornices. 
Therefore, it turned out that the Armenian Church was not able to maintain a centralized state, but retained the commonality of Armenian culture. One can even talk about the creation of a special theocratic state, where spiritual power replaced political power. This trend has been preserved even now, the basis of modern Armenian unity is, first of all, a common national ideology, and the political power, for example, of the President of Armenia, is completely secondary.
The altar and all the interior decoration of Etchmiadzin were created in the 17-18 centuries. One can feel a very strong influence of Catholicism, which appeared in Cilician Armenia during the Crusades. 
But the dome and wall paintings are all oriental, very similar to those in Ottoman mosques. 
Wall paintings are all late 18-19 centuries, the golden background is somewhat reminiscent of the painting in St. Sophia of Constantinople. 
An impressive collection of khachkars has been collected in the courtyard of the Echmiadzin Monastery. For example, this ancient one, dating back to the 9th century, does not yet have rich oriental ornaments, like the later stone monuments. 
And this khachkar is already in the 13th century, rich carved ligature covers almost its entire surface. 
Armenian pensioners in the courtyard of Etchmiadzin. 
The only surviving tower of the fortress wall that surrounded the monastery. These later walls were erected at the end of the 18th century. 
Plan of Etchmiadzin made by Jean Chardin in the 1670s. It can be seen that the fortress fence with towers existed in the 17th century. Since the Etchmiadzin Monastery occupies the site of the ancient citadel of Vagharshapat, the question arises - to what extent the fortress walls of the monastery repeat the line of the walls of the ancient fortress, did the citadel of Vagharshapat have the same regular rectangular shape? There is no exact answer to this question.
It seems to me that the characteristic shape of the fortifications of the Transcaucasian monasteries in the form of a regular rectangle (this is both Svetitskhoveli and the Alaverdi Monastery) comes from Iranian fortified caravanserais, which all also have the correct shape and, in turn, go back to Byzantine and Roman military camps. But is it possible that the shape of the rectangle was inherent in the original citadel of Vagharshapat? Those. Perhaps the fortress of Vagharshapat directly copied the Roman military camp, because the city was built in the 2nd century BC. AD, the time of the maximum dominance of Roman culture in Transcaucasia, and there really was a Roman garrison.
Etchmiadzin Monastery view from the old cemetery. 
On the south side, the cemetery rests on the monastery of St. Gayane. Most likely, the southern outskirts of the ancient Vagharshapat passed by the church of Gayane. There should have been a fortress wall of the city and a moat in front of it, where, according to legend, St. Gayane was executed. But this is in the event that the Gayane memorial was founded in the "right" place.
Now we come to the history no less important for Armenian Christianity than the history of Gregory the Illuminator and King Trdat, the more they also participate in it.
According to legend, the baptism of King Trdat was preceded by a mass execution of Christians in Vagharshapat. It was after this action that Tsar Trdat turned into a pig, until the good pastor Gregory cured him with the help of Christ's faith.
Most of the executed were women, but the main characters of this tragedy were the maiden Hripsimia (Hripsime) and Gaiania (Gayane). Gayane led a group of Christian women, and Hripsime was the basis of the plot, although in the end all the martyrs suffered (their number ranges from 30 to 40 people, depending on the sources) But one of the virgins still managed to escape, and she was not only who , and St. Nina herself is the baptist of Georgia.
In short, the whole story was like "about love", Tsar Trdat was inflamed with passion for the beautiful Hripsime, harassed her in every possible way, but when she was refused, he tortured her to death, and at the same time all her companions.
Of course, the story of the Hripsimyanok virgins could actually happen, especially since it is mentioned in the lives that this happened during the time of the emperor Diocletian, a well-known persecutor of Christians. It is quite possible that such outrages could have happened in Armenia, although it raises some doubt that Trdat III himself, a man who had a good Roman education and decided to baptize the country, could be a fanatic.
The abundance of female characters in this story is striking, in fact, all the early martyrs of Armenia are women, here you can also recall St. Nina, who baptized Georgia, by the way, this is actually the only woman who became the "baptizer of some country", as a rule, this position was occupied by men.
The explanation for this "female phenomenon" is simple, the fact is that the main deity of Armenia before the adoption of Christianity was the goddess Anahit (Anahita, Artemis), the goddess of fertility and the patroness of Armenian kings. And the city of Vagharshapat was the center of her worship, it even had the ancient name Artemis - the city of the goddess Artemis. It was her temple that was apparently located on the site of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral and was completely destroyed in the 4th century. But the veneration of the female deity in the city remained, so almost all the churches of Vagharshapat are dedicated to female martyrs.
Church of St. Gayane, built by Catholicos Ezr in 630. 
The church has a pronounced stepped base, copying similar ones in ancient temples. 
The arched vestibule of St. Gayane church was erected in 1688, the highest clerics of the monastery are buried in the vestibule. 
The wall paintings here are from the 18th and 19th centuries. 
The church has survived almost unchanged, only in the 17th century the dome was repaired. 
Altar of St. Gayane Temple 
The church was erected on the site of the martyrium - the mausoleum of the martyr Gayane. It is believed that the mausoleum was built directly at the beginning of the 4th century by Tsar Trdat III. Parts of the mausoleum were included in the structure of the church of the 7th century, although the burial crypt of Gayane has come down to us in a very rebuilt form, in contrast to the martiria of the virgin Hripsime (which will be discussed below).
Entrance to the crypt of St. Gayane. 
A praying woman in the crypt of the martyr Gayane, there is practically nothing here except an opening in the wall. 
And now let's look at the real masterpiece of Armenian architecture - the church of St. Hripsime. It was located outside the city walls of Vagharshapat on a small natural hill to the east of the city. Now it is also an urban outskirts. The church was built by Catholicos Komitas I Akhtsetsi in 618 on the site of the martyrium of the virgin Hripsime, erected in the 4th century. Until the Christian era, a pagan temple stood on this hill, its remains were discovered during archaeological excavations - it was a classic antique peripter temple, similar to the one that has now been restored in Garni.
The complex of St. Hripsime has preserved the adobe fortress fence of the 18th century. 
These walls made of raw bricks give a general idea of the fortification of ancient Vagharshapat, because the same material was used in the construction. If the walls of the 18th century were so badly preserved, then it is clear that there was not a trace left of the ancient fortifications, just as nothing remained of all the ancient buildings of the city, all the plain cities of Armenia were built entirely of unbaked bricks. Armenian cities were similar to those in Iran or Iraq, for example, not a single building remained from the famous Baghdad of the times of the Caliphate, since the mud walls quickly sink and collapse.
But Armenians built churches for centuries. Hripsime Temple is one of the oldest and, most importantly, perfectly preserved.
This is one of the first domed tetraconchs - cross-domed temples with four apses. The first such temple in Armenia was the cathedral in Avan, I already wrote about it in an article about Yerevan, only ruins remained from the temple in Avan.
The dome of the temple was slightly expanded in the 10th century. It looks impressive, like the whole church inside, but it’s hard to shoot it, since the photos do not convey the volume of the internal space well, and the walls are ascetic and even rough, only individual elements of arches and vaults fall into the frame, which do not give a sense of the integrity of the whole structure.
The church was erected on the site of the Hripsime martyrium, and the lower part of the mausoleum has been preserved and is now under the altar of the temple. It turned out that initially, the martyrium had a tower-like shape, its image can be seen on the monument from Odzun, in the north of Armenia. It is quite possible that the martyrium of St. Gayane also had a tower-like shape. According to legend, these two mausoleums were erected by Tsar Trdat III after the christening of the country. In the 360s, the memorials of the saints were destroyed by the Persians along with the entire city, but at the end of the 4th c. Catholicos Sahak Partev restored the towers of the mausoleums, they were finally dismantled only during the construction of churches over the tombs.
The very existence of tower-like martyria among Christians in Armenia in the 4th century leads to some reflections about the genesis of Muslim tower mausoleums that appeared 600 years later in Iran and Asia Minor. Of course, it is difficult to prove a direct connection here, but there is no doubt that the Muslim tombs date back to some early similar ancient structures.
The image of St. Hripsime martyrium on the monument from Odzun. 
The entrance to the northern aisle of the church, where there is a corridor leading to the tomb of the virgin Hripsime. 
There are some old stones here, the slab in the center resembles a stone door to a tomb. 
The crypt-crypt of Hripsime has retained its original form, apparently of the 4th century, it is a rectangular chamber with a vaulted ceiling and an apse on the east side. 
Not far from the Hripsime memorial is the later Shoghakat church, built by Prince Agamal Shorotetsi in 1694. In its place there was some ancient church, but it is not known what year of construction. Shoghakat is translated as "radiant light", the church was built on the site associated with the Vision of St. Gregory the Illuminator, who supposedly saw the Light of Christ over the city of Vagharshapat. Although earlier it was believed that "light" descended on the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin.
The church is small, neat and popular with local parishioners. 
It is believed that the fortress wall of Vagharshapat passed in the area of the Shoghakat temple. The photo of the 19th century shows some ruins, but most likely these are the ruins of the fence of the Shoghakat monastery itself.
Not far from the Shoghakat temple are the ruins of another unknown church with such an impressive stepped base. I don't have any information about the item. 
Khachkars of Vagharshapat. These are early, and below the monument with a brave man on a horse and in a turban is much later. 
My posts dedicated to Transcaucasia.
“holy city created by god
For all Armenians there is only one
So they say about the history of that
The beginning of which is Etchmiadzin”
HayasaNews. Military, trade, cultural, religious and other centers have always existed in the life of every nation. Spiritual, cultural and religious centers have always been the source of life for the Armenian people, which until some time changed due to the geopolitical situation. For example, in the pre-Christian period, one of the religious centers was the Urartian city of Teishebaini, Musasir and others.
Etchmiadzin has been the Holy City of Armenians for over 1700 years.
On the territory of Armenia there are a huge number of historical and well-known for their inviolability places where every person, regardless of his taste, should visit and enjoy the beauty and originality of these sights. But having visited Armenia and not visiting the Holy City means not visiting Armenia. It was here that the originality of the Armenian national culture developed, it was here that the important center of the formation of the Armenian statehood was located, it was here that Jesus Christ descended.
The history of Etchmiadzin is very closely connected with the history of the Etchmiadzin Monastery, the construction of the Cathedral of which was started by the first Catholicos of all Armenians Grigor Lusavorich. He had a vision that the only begotten son of God descended to earth and with a golden hammer indicated the place where the holy altar should stand. Therefore, the cathedral erected on this very spot was called Etchmiadzin, which in Armenian means “the Only Begotten descended”, that is, Jesus Christ. Since then, Etchmiadzin Cathedral has become the spiritual center of Armenia, the heart of Armenian Christianity.
Deacon Aghvan Gasparyan proclaimed the idea of building Etchmiadzin in the following way:
“Over time, so that the foot of a mortal would not stain the place of the descent of the Only Begotten, a small altar, or altar of descent, was erected. Services dedicated to the first Patriarch Gregory the Illuminator take place here.”
However, even earlier, at this place in the VI century BC. Prince Vardges, on the left bank of the Kassakh River, built a large settlement, naming it after his own name Vardgesavan, which means the village of Vardges. A few centuries later, in the 2nd century AD under King Vagharshak I (117-140), it was surrounded by a fortress wall and a large rampart and became the second capital along with Artashat, which was called Vagharshapat. Vagharshapat was honored to be one of the capitals of Greater Armenia. This name survived until 1945, when Vagharshapat was renamed Etchmiadzin after the Etchmiadzin Monastery located in it - the residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians. However, in 1992 the former name was returned to the city, but both names are used in everyday life.
The city of Echmiadzin is located on the Ararat plain, 15 km from the Echmiadzin railway station and 30 km west of Yerevan. Despite the fact that the population here is only 57.5 thousand inhabitants, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Etchmiadzin. Their main goal is the Mother See of Etchmiadzin Monastery.
The Etchmiadzin Cathedral and theological educational institutions are located here. Built in IV-V centuries. The cathedral is considered one of the oldest Christian cathedrals in the world. Since 2000, the Mother See of Etchmiadzin Cathedral has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Throughout its history, the Cathedral has undergone many renovations. Initially, like other temples, it was a rectangular building, but later it was rebuilt into a central domed cathedral. At the beginning of the construction of the Cathedral in 303, wood was used as the main material. Then, in the 5th and 7th centuries, the Mother See Cathedral was rebuilt in stone. A thousand years later, a bell tower and sacristy were built. In the Cathedral, as an interior, the observers are inspired and inspired by the frescoes created at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, created by the hand of the Armenian artist, also a poet, the founder of the famous Hovnatanyan family of artists, Hovnatan Nagash. The complex of one of the first Cathedrals includes a refectory and a hotel, as well as the house of the Catholicos. Nearby is a stone pond and other buildings.
In Holy Echmiadzin, the relics of St. John the Baptist, St. Stephen the First Martyr, the holy Apostles Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Andrew the First-Called, Thomas, many saints of the Church and such relics as a particle of the Tree of the Life-Giving and Holy Cross of Christ, a particle of the crown of thorns and a spear that pierced Jesus Christ.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world flock to the city to see these and other relics and treasures.
Near the cathedral are the temple of St. Hripsime, built in 618, the domed basilica of St. Gayane, established in 630, as well as the three-arched gavit and the Church of St. Shokagat. All these churches are dedicated to the memory of the Ripmimeyan maidens, who were killed in the third century by Tsar Trdat for the spread of Christianity. The cathedral also houses a museum founded in 1955 with a collection of medieval arts and crafts.
Etchmiadzin of our days is one of the most beautiful and flourishing cities of the Republic of Armenia. A wonderful palace of culture, cinemas, a hotel, and a research institute for industrial cultures have been erected in the city. In the central part there is the House-Museum of the poet Ioannisayan (1864-1929), a native of Etchmiadzin, an exponent of the thoughts and aspirations of his native people. Indignant at the savagery of despotic Turkey, he portrayed the brutal exploitation of the peasantry, the hard work of the grain grower. The poet warmly welcomed the revival of his native Armenia and took an active part in its cultural life. The building of Chemaran is located in the center of the city. Opposite it stands a monument to the writer Rafael Patkanyan (1830-1892), whose poem "On the Shores of Mother Araks" has become one of the most popular Armenian folk songs.
The ancient Roman politician and philosopher, the brilliant orator Mark Tullius Cicero once said:
“The good of the people is the highest law” (1). Accordingly, the most important thing for a nation is its good, all decisions and actions must be taken for the benefit of this people on the principles of goodness and justice. The Armenian people throughout its history proved that the highest good for it is its religion, which did not submit to anyone and created the Armenian culture, which is honored by its bearers.
This is how the city appears before us, which built, probably, the very first cathedral in the world, the inside of which is saturated with the prayers of the desperate, grieving, suffering, but again coming to life and singing about their freedom and love for the Motherland of the Armenian people. This is how the city appears, in which there is nothing higher than the Cross on the Mother See of Etchmiadzin Cathedral - this is how the culture of the people is seen, which has nothing more important and valuable than the Kingdom of Heaven, which they did not give to anyone in the world. Hail my country!
Avetik Harutyunyan,
Geographic Encyclopedia
ECHMIADZIN- (until 1945 Vagharshapat), a city in Armenia, 15 km from the Etchmiadzin railway station. 60.5 thousand inhabitants. Engineering, chemical, food industry. Museum of Local Lore, branch of the Armenian State Art Gallery, House Museum ... ... Modern Encyclopedia
ECHMIADZIN- (until 1945 Vagharshapat) a city in Armenia, 15 km from the railway station. d. st. Etchmiadzin. 60.5 thousand inhabitants (1989). Engineering, chemical, food industry. Museum of Local Lore, branch of the Armenian State Picture Gallery. House Museum I. M. ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Etchmiadzin- (until 1945 Vagharshapat), a city in the Armenian SSR. Known since the 2nd century. BC e. The historical center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Cathedral (303, rebuilt in the 5th and 7th centuries) with a bell tower (1653-58) and sacristy (1869). Frescoes in the cathedral (late XVII XVIII ... ... Art Encyclopedia
echmiadzin- n., number of synonyms: 1 city (2765) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary
Etchmiadzin- (until 1945 Vagharshapat), a city in Armenia, 15 km from the Etchmiadzin railway station. 60.5 thousand inhabitants (1989). Engineering, chemical, food industry. Museum of Local Lore, branch of the Armenian State Art Gallery, House ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Etchmiadzin- (until 1945 Vagharshapat) a city of republican subordination, the center of the Echmiadzin region of the Armenian SSR, on the Ararat plain, 15 km from the railway station. d. st. Echmiadzin and 20 km from Yerevan. 37 thousand inhabitants (1974). In E. factories of plastics, household ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Etchmiadzin is a city in Armenia. From the 11th c. BC. there was the city of Varkesovan; the name comes from the personal name and the Armenian avan - "village". In the 140s, King Vargashak surrounded the village with walls and named after himself Vagharshapat - "the city of Vagharsha" (Iran ... Toponymic Dictionary of the Caucasus
ECHMIADZIN- a monastery near Yerevan, which is a historical. the center of the Armenian Gregorian. churches. It houses the residence of the Patriarch of the Catholicos, the Patriarchal Cathedral (built in 303), a theological academy and a seminary, and a number of other institutions. Here… Atheistic Dictionary
Etchmiadzin- city, Armenia. From the 2nd century BC e. there was the city of Vardkesavan; name from personal name and arm. van village. In the 140s. King Vagar Shak surrounded the village with walls and named the city of Vagharsha after his own name Vagharshapat (Iran. apat, abad village, city ... Toponymic Dictionary
Books
- History of the Armenian Church (until the 19th century), Anninsky Alexander. Reprint from the publication. Chisinau, type. M. Ya. Spivak, 1900. Table of contents: Armenians before the adoption of Christianity; Conversion of Armenians to Christianity and establishment of the Armenian Church; The Armenian Church at the first ... Buy for 903 rubles
- Yerevan. Garni. Geghard. Etchmiadzin. Ashtarak, A. Grigoryan, A. Stepanyan. The book is dedicated to the architectural and artistic monuments of Yerevan and the architectural complexes adjacent to it. Chronologically covers the material of deep antiquity (Erebuni), antiquity…
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