Echmiadzin Mother Cathedral, Treasury Museum and Zvartnots group tour

Whilst travelling to Armenia, you may be interested in seeing the world’s first Christian Cathedral church. Echmiadzin is considered the spiritual center for Armenians all over the world! The word itself means a place where “the only begotten son of the God descended”.

This daily tour will begin by visiting St. Hripsime church, which was built on the sepulcher of a Christian nun Hripsime who fled from the Roman Empire and was killed in Armenia. This amazing building has stood upright from the day of its construction since 618 A.D, making it one of the oldest standing churches in the world.

Five minutes’ drive away will be our next spot: the 7th century church of St. Gayane. Gayane was the nanny of Hripsime, and shared Hripsime’s tragic fate. After this stop, you will be able to observe the first world’s first Christian Cathedral – the Holy Echmiadzin, built in 301-304. According to the legend, Jesus Christ descended from heaven and showed the place where later Gregory the Illuminator ordered to build the church. Inside of the Cathedral, there is a small museum, which is home to many Christian relics, including pieces from the Holy Cross and Noah’s Ark, as well as the spear that in Armenian is translated as “Geghard” with which Jesus was wounded. It was kept in Geghard Monastery complex for 5 centuries.

On the way back to Yerevan, we will make a final stop at another beautiful 7th century temple Zvartnots, also included in the UNESCO heritage list. It is a unique building with its architectural structure. All of the churches included in the tour are listed on the UNESCO World’s Cultural Heritage Sites.