Echmiadzin
Armenia · Armavir · 850 m
Description
Echmiadzin (Էջմիածին), officially Vagharshapat, is the seat of the Catholicos and the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and its cathedral is generally held to be the oldest cathedral in the world, founded around 303 when Armenia became the first state to adopt Christianity. The complex on the UNESCO list also takes in the churches of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane, both seventh century and both almost unaltered, and the treasury holds relics including a spear said to be the one that pierced Christ. The town lies twenty kilometres west of Yerevan with Ararat filling the view south.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Etchmiadzin Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Cathedral treasury and the Holy Lance
- Church of Saint Hripsime
- Church of Saint Gayane
- Open-air khachkar collection
- Catholicos residence and its gardens
- Sunday liturgy in the cathedral (every Sunday)
- Zvartnots cathedral ruins (UNESCO World Heritage)(Day trip)
- Sardarapat memorial and its ethnographic museum(Day trip)