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Etchmiadzin Cathedral

January 01, 1970

Etchmiadzin Cathedral[a] (Armenian: Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար, romanized: Ēǰmiaçni mayr tač̣ar) is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located in the city dually known as Etchmiadzin (Ejmiatsin) and Vagharshapat, Armenia.[b] It is usually considered the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia, and often regarded the oldest cathedral in the world.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Religion
AffiliationArmenian Apostolic Church
RiteArmenian
LeadershipCatholicos of All Armenians
StatusActive, under renovation
Location
LocationVagharshapat, Armavir Province, Armenia
Shown within Armenia
Geographic coordinates40°9′42.7″N 44°17′27.6″E / 40.161861°N 44.291000°E / 40.161861; 44.291000
Architecture
TypeCathedral
StyleArmenian
FounderGregory the Illuminator (original)
Groundbreaking301 (original building; traditional date)[1]
Completed303 (original building; traditional date)[1]
483/4–1868 (current building)
  • 483/4 (core)[2][3]
  • 17th century (dome)[4][5]
  • 1654–58 (belfry)[2]
  • 1682 (smaller belfries with turrets)[2]
  • 1868 (sacristy)[2]
Specifications
Length33 m (108 ft)[2]
Width30 m (98 ft)[2]
Dome height (outer)34 m (112 ft)[6]
Official name: Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots
TypeCultural
Criteria(ii) (iii)
Designated2000 (24th session)
Reference no.1011-001
RegionWestern Asia

The original church was built in the early fourth century[12]—between 301 and 303 according to tradition—by Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator, following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III. It was built over a pagan temple, symbolizing the conversion from paganism to Christianity. The core of the current building was built in 483/4 by Vahan Mamikonian after the cathedral was severely damaged in a Persian invasion. From its foundation until the second half of the fifth century, Etchmiadzin was the seat of the Catholicos, the supreme head of the Armenian Church.

Although never losing its significance, the cathedral subsequently suffered centuries of virtual neglect. In 1441 it was restored as catholicosate and remains as such to this day.[13] Since then the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has been the administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church. Etchmiadzin was plundered by Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1604, when relics and stones were taken out of the cathedral to New Julfa in an effort to undermine Armenians' attachment to their land. Since then the cathedral has undergone a number of renovations. Belfries were added in the latter half of the seventeenth century and in 1868 a sacristy (museum and room of relics) was constructed at the cathedral's east end.[2] Today, it incorporates styles of different periods of Armenian architecture. Diminished during the early Soviet period, Etchmiadzin revived again in the second half of the twentieth century, and under independent Armenia.[2]

As the center of Armenian Christianity, Etchmiadzin has been an important location in Armenia not only religiously, but also politically and culturally.[14] A major pilgrimage site, it is one of the most visited places in the country.[15] Along with several important early medieval churches located nearby, the cathedral was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.

Setting edit

 
A map of Vagharshapat and the Etchmiadzin monastery in the late 19th century (by Ghevont Alishan).

The cathedral is located at the center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the town dually known as Vagharshapat or Etchmiadzin (Ejmiatsin). For much of its history, the complex around the cathedral, which includes the residence of the Catholicos (patriarch), was known as the Monastery of Etchmiadzin.[16][17][18] It was formerly surrounded by 30 ft (9.1 m) high[16][19] walls, made of brick[19][16] or cob,[20] and had eight circular towers (turrets).[17][21][22] Its external appearance led to 19th century visitors to widely compare it to a fortress.[21][17][16][23] The walled monastery, a vast quadrangular enclosure,[24] could have been accessed through four gates.[16]

The cathedral stood—and continues to stand—at the center of a courtyard (a quadrangle), which by Lynch's measurements in the 1890s, was 349 feet 6 inches (106.53 m) by 335 feet 2 inches (102.16 m), making it larger than the Trinity Great Court in Cambridge, England.[25] He suggested that it may have been at the time the largest quadrangle in the world.[25][26]

History edit

 
 
A relief of Gregory the Illuminator on the cathedral's western belfry (1650s) and a 1901 painting of Gregory's vision by Yeghishe Tadevosyan.

Foundation and etymology edit

In the early fourth century the Kingdom of Armenia, under Tiridates III, become the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion.[c] Armenian church tradition places the cathedral's foundation between 301 and 303.[4] It was built near the royal palace in what was then the Armenian capital of Vagharshapat,[1] on the site of a pagan temple, which was dated by Alexander Sahinian to the Urartian period.[12] Although no historical sources point to a pre-Christian place of worship in its place, a granite Urartian stele dated to the 8th-6th centuries BC was excavated under the main altar in the 1950s.[33][34][d] Also excavated under the altar was an amphora, which has been interpreted to have been a part of a fire temple.[36][e]

In his History of the Armenians, Agathangelos narrates the legend of the cathedral's foundation. Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator had a divine vision descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Later tradition associated the figure with Jesus Christ,[42] hence the name of Etchmiadzin (էջ ēĵ "descent" + մի mi "only" + -ա- -a- (linking element) + ծին tsin "begotten"),[43] which translates to "the Descent of the Only-Begotten [Son of God]"[2][44] or "Descended the Only Begotten".[45] However, the name Etchmiadzin did not come into use until the 15th century,[4] while earlier sources call it "Cathedral of Vagharshapat."[f] The Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin (Տոն Կաթողիկե Սբ. Էջմիածնի) is celebrated by the Armenian Church 64 days after Easter, during which a hymn, written by the 8th century Catholicos Sahak III, retelling St. Gregory's vision, is sung.[48]

The form of the original fourth century church
as proposed by Alexander Sahinian (1966)[49]
   
 

Malachia Ormanian suggested that the cathedral was built in 303 within seven months because the building was not huge and probably, partially made of wood. He also argued that the foundation of the preexisting temple could have been preserved.[50] Vahagn Grigoryan dismisses these dates as implausible and states that at least several years were needed for its construction. He cites Agathangelos, who does not mention the cathedral in an episode that took place in 306 and suggests the usage of the span of 302 to 325—the reign of Gregory the Illuminator as Catholicos as the dates of the cathedral's construction.[50]

Archaeological excavations in 1955–56 and 1959, led by Alexander Sahinian, uncovered the remains of the original fourth-century building, including two levels of pillar bases below the current ones and a narrower altar apse under the present one.[1][34] Based on these findings, Sahinian asserted that the original church had been a three-naved[51] vaulted basilica,[1] similar to the basilicas of Tekor, Ashtarak and Aparan (Kasagh).[52] However, other scholars, have rejected Sahinian's view.[53] Among them, Suren Yeremian and Armen Khatchatrian held that the original church had been in the form of a rectangle with a dome supported by four pillars.[51] Stepan Mnatsakanian suggested that the original building had been a "canopy erected on a cross [plan]," while Vahagn Grigoryan proposes what Mnatsakanian describes as an "extreme view,"[54] that the cathedral has been essentially in the same form as it is today.[51]

Reconstruction and decline edit

 
The ground plan of the cathedral after the 5th century reconstruction

According to Faustus of Byzantium, the cathedral and the city of Vagharshapat were almost completely destroyed during the invasion of Sasanian King Shapur II in the 360s[55] (circa 363).[2][56] Due to Armenia's unfavorable economic conditions, the cathedral was renovated only partially by Catholicoi Nerses the Great (r. 353–373) and Sahak Parthev (r. 387–439).[12]

In 387, Armenia was partitioned between the Roman and Sasanian Empires. Etchmiadzin became part of the Persian-controlled east, under the rule of Armenian vassal kings until 428, when the Armenian Kingdom was dissolved.[57] In 450, in an attempt to impose Zoroastrianism on Armenians, Sasanian King Yazdegerd II built a fire temple inside the cathedral.[5] The pyre of the fire temple was unearthed under the altar of the east apse during the excavations in the 1950s.[34][g]

By the last quarter of the fifth century the cathedral was dilapidated.[58] According to Ghazar Parpetsi, it was rebuilt from the foundations by marzban (governor) of Persian Armenia Vahan Mamikonian in 483/4,[59] when the country was relatively stable,[60] following the struggle for religious freedom against Persia.[59] Most[58] researchers have concluded that, thus, the church was converted into cruciform church and mostly took its current form.[h] The new church was very different from the original one and "consisted of quadric-apsidal hall built of dull, grey stone containing four free-standing cross-shaped pillars disdained to support a stone cupola." The new cathedral was "in the form of a square enclosing a Greek cross and contains two chapels, one on either side of the east apse."[2]

Although the seat of the Catholicos was transferred to Dvin sometime in the 460s–470s[62] or 484,[63][64] the cathedral never lost its significance and remained "one of the greatest shrines of the Armenian Church."[65] The last known renovations until the 15th century were made by Catholicos Komitas in 618 (according to Sebeos) and Catholicos Nerses III (r. 640–661).[2][34] In 982 the cross of the cathedral was reportedly removed by an Arab emir.[61]

Over the course of these centuries of neglect, the cathedral deteriorated to such an extent that it inspired the renowned archbishop Stepanos Orbelian to compose one of his better known poems, "Lament on Behalf of the Cathedral", in 1300.[66][i] In the poem, which tells about the consequences of the Mongol and Mamluk invasions of Armenia and Cilicia, Orbelian portrays Etchmiadzin Cathedral "as a woman in mourning, contemplating her former splendor and exhorting her children to return to their homeland [...] and restore its glory."[69]

From revival to plunder edit

Following the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1375, the See of Sis experienced decline and disarray. The Catholicosate of Aghtamar and the locally influential Syunik bishops enhanced the importance of the region around Etchmiadzin. In 1441 a general council of several hundred religious figures met in Etchmiadzin and voted to reestablish a catholicosate there.[70] The cathedral was restored by Catholicos Kirakos (Cyriacus) between 1441 and 1443.[2] At that time Etchmiadzin was under the control of the Turkic Kara Koyunlu, but in 1502, Safavid Iran gained control of parts of Armenia, including Etchmiadzin, and granted the Armenian Church some privileges.[71]

 
A detail from a 1691 map of Armenia by Eremya Çelebi, an Ottoman Armenian traveler.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Armenia suffered from its location between Persia and Ottoman Turkey, and the conflicts between those two empires. Concurrently with the deportation of up to 350,000 Armenians into Persia by Shah Abbas I as part of the scorched earth policy during the war with the Ottoman Empire,[72][73] Etchmiadzin was plundered in 1604.[71]

The Shah wanted to "dispel Armenian hopes of returning to their homeland"[74] by moving the religious center of the Armenians to Iran[75] in order to provide Persia with a strong Armenian presence.[76] He wanted to destroy the cathedral and have it physically transferred to the newly founded Armenian community of New Julfa near the royal capital of Isfahan.[75][77] Shah Abbas offered the prospective new cathedral in New Julfa to the Pope.[77] Etchmiadzin was not moved, possibly because of the high costs.[78] In the event, only some important stones—the altar, the stone where Jesus Christ descended according to tradition, and Armenian Church's holiest relic,[79] the Right Arm of Gregory the Illuminator—were moved to New Julfa.[60] They were incorporated in the local Armenian St. Georg Church when it was built in 1611.[74][80] Fifteen stones from Etchmiadzin still remain at St. Georg.[78]

 
An engraving of Etchmiadzin in the late 17th century by Jean Chardin (from 1811 edition)․[81]

17th–18th centuries edit

Since 1627, the cathedral underwent a major renovation under Catholicos Movses (Moses), when the dome, ceiling, roof, foundations and paving were repaired.[60] At this time, cells for monks, a guesthouse and other structures were built around the cathedral.[34] Additionally, a wall was built around the cathedral, making it a fort-like complex.[60]

The renovation works were interrupted by the Ottoman-Safavid War of 1635–36, during which the cathedral remained intact.[34] The renovations resumed under Catholicos Pilippos (1632–55), who built new cells for monks and renovated the roof.[34] During this century, belfries were added to many Armenian churches.[61] In 1653–54, he started the construction of the belfry in the western wing of Etchmiadzin Cathedral. It was completed in 1658 by Catholicos Hakob IV Jugayetsi.[60] Decades later, in 1682, Catholicos Yeghiazar constructed smaller bell towers with red tuff turrets on the southern, eastern, and northern wings.[2][34]

The renovations of Etchmiadzin continued during the 18th century. In 1720, Catholicos Astvatsatur and then, in 1777–83 Simeon I of Yerevan took actions in preserving the cathedral.[34] In 1770, Simeon I established a publishing house near Etchmiadzin, the first in Armenia.[82][2] During Simeon's reign, the monastery was completely walled and separated from the city of Vagharshapat.[4] Catholicos Ghukas (Lucas) continued the renovations in 1784–86.[34]

 
A 1783 watercolor of the churches of Etchmiadzin by Mikhail Matveevich Ivanov.[83][j]
From left to right: Hripsime, Gayane, Etchmiadzin Cathedral, and Shoghakat.[85]
 
Painting of the cathedral by an unknown European artist (1870s)

Russian takeover edit

The Russian Empire gradually penetrated Transcaucasia by the early 19th century. Persia's Erivan Khanate, in which Etchmiadzin was located, became an important target for the Russians. In June 1804, during the Russo-Persian War (1804–13), the Russian troops led by General Pavel Tsitsianov tried to take Etchmiadzin, but failed.[86][87] A few days after the attempt, the Russians returned to Etchmiadzin, where they caught a different Persian force by surprise and routed them.[87][86] Tsitsianov's forces entered Etchmiadzin, which, according to Auguste Bontems-Lefort, a contemporary French military envoy to Persia, they looted, seriously damaging the Armenian religious buildings.[87] Shortly after, the Russians were forced to withdraw from the area as a result of the successful Persian defense of Erivan.[87][88][89] According to Bontems-Lefort, the Russian behaviour at Etchmiadzin contrasted with that of the Persian king, who treated the local Christian population with respect.[87]

On 13 April 1827, during the Russo-Persian War (1826–28), Etchmiadzin was captured by the Russian General Ivan Paskevich's troops without fight and was formally annexed by Russia, with the Persian-controlled parts of Armenia, roughly corresponding to the territory of the modern Republic of Armenia (also known as Eastern Armenia), according to the 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay.[90]

The cathedral prospered under Russian rule, despite the suspicions that the Imperial Russian government had about Etchmiadzin becoming a "possible center of the Armenian nationalist sentiment."[2] Formally, Etchmiadzin became the religious center of the Armenians living within the Russian Empire by the 1836 statute or constitution (polozhenie).[91]

In 1868, Catholicos Gevorg (George) IV made the last major alteration to the cathedral by adding a sacristy (museum and room of relics) to its east end.[2] In 1874, he established the Gevorgian Seminary, a theological school-college located on the cathedral's premises.[92][2] Catholicos Markar I undertook the restoration of the interior of the cathedral in 1888.[61]

20th century and on edit

 
The monastery of Etchmiadzin in the early 20th century with Mount Ararat in the background
 
Etchmiadzin, c. 1910

In 1903, the Russian government issued an edict to confiscate the properties of the Armenian Church, including the treasures of Etchmiadzin.[2] Russian policemen and soldiers entered and occupied the cathedral.[93][94] Due to popular resistance and the personal defiance of Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian, the edict was canceled in 1905.[91]

During the Armenian genocide, the cathedral of Etchmiadzin and its surrounding became a major center for Turkish Armenian refugees. At the end of 1918, there were about 70,000 refugees in the Etchmiadzin district.[95] A hospital and an orphanage within the cathedral's grounds were established and maintained by the U.S.-based Armenian Near East Relief by 1919.[2]

In the spring of 1918 the cathedral was in danger of an attack by the Turks.[96] Prior to the May 1918 Battle of Sardarabad, which took place just miles away from the cathedral, the civilian and military leadership of Armenia suggested Catholicos Gevorg (George) V to leave for Byurakan for security purposes, but he refused.[97][98] The Armenian forces eventually repelled the Turkish offensive and set the foundations of the First Republic of Armenia.

Soviet period edit

Suppression edit

After two years of independence, Armenia was Sovietized in December 1920. During the 1921 February Uprising Etchmiadzin was briefly (until April) taken over by the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which had dominated the pre-Soviet Armenian government between 1918 and 1920.[99]

In December 1923, the southern apse of the cathedral collapsed. It was restored under Toros Toramanian's supervision in what was the first case of restoration of an architectural monument in Soviet Armenia.[100]

 
The Soviet government issued a postage stamp depicting the cathedral in 1978.

During the Great Purge and the radical state atheist policies in the late 1930s, the cathedral was a "besieged institution as the campaign was underway to eradicate religion."[101] The repressions climaxed when Catholicos Khoren I was murdered in April 1938 by the NKVD.[102] In August of that year, the Armenian Communist Party decided to close down the monastery, but the central Soviet government seemingly did not approve of such a measure.[103] Isolated from the outside world, the cathedral barely continued to function and its administrators were reduced to some twenty people.[2] It was reportedly the only church in Soviet Armenia not to have been seized by the Communist government.[104] The dissident anti-Soviet Armenian diocese in the US wrote that "the great cathedral became a hollow monument."[105]

Revival edit

Etchmiadzin slowly recovered its religious importance during World War II. The Holy See's official magazine resumed publication in 1944, while the seminary was reopened in September 1945.[106] In 1945 Catholicos Gevorg VI was elected after the seven-year vacancy of the position. The number of baptisms conducted at Etchmiadzin rose greatly: from 200 in 1949 to around 1,700 in 1951.[107] Nevertheless, the cathedral's role was downplayed by the Communist official circles. "For them the ecclesiastical Echmiadzin belongs irrevocably to the past, and even if the monastery and the cathedral are occasionally the scene of impressive ceremonies including the election of a new catholicos, this has little importance from the communist point of view," wrote Walter Kolarz in 1961.[108]

Etchmiadzin revived under Catholicos Vazgen I since the Khrushchev Thaw in the mid-1950s, following Stalin's death. Archaeological excavations were held in 1955–56 and in 1959; the cathedral underwent a major renovation during this period.[61][34] Wealthy diaspora benefactors, such as Calouste Gulbenkian and Alex Manoogian, financially assisted the renovation of the cathedral.[61] Gulbenkian alone provided $400,000.[109]

Independent Armenia edit

 
An aerial view of the cathedral undergoing restoration in 2021

In 2000[110] Etchmiadzin underwent a renovation prior to the celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of the Christianization of Armenia in 2001.[61] Its metal roof was replaced by stone slabs.[111] In 2003 the 1700th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral was celebrated by the Armenian Church.[112] Catholicos Karekin II declared 2003 the Year of Holy Etchmiadzin.[113] In September of that year an academic conference on the cathedral was held at the Pontifical Residence.[114]

The latest renovation of the cathedral began in 2012,[110] with a focus on strengthening and restoring the dome and the roof.[115]

Architecture edit

 
The present-day ground plan of Etchmiadzin

Style edit

Etchmiadzin has a cruciform plan, four free-standing piers, and four projecting apses, which are semicircular on the interior and polygonal on the exterior.[34] Its roof is mostly flat, except the conspicuous central cupola with the typically Armenian conical roof on a polygonal drum and the four small belfries on top of the apses.[116][117]

Although the cathedral was renovated many times through the centuries and significant additions were made in the 17th and 19th centuries, it largely retains the form of the building constructed in 483/4,[119] especially the floor plan.[120] The fifth-century building is the core of the cathedral, while the stone cupola, turrets, belfry, and rear extension are later additions.[2] According to Varazdat Harutyunyan, its dome was originally wooden and was replaced with a stone one in a subsequent renovation.[121] Portions of the northern and eastern walls of the original building have survived.[55] Alexander Sahinian argued that Etchmiadzin holds a unique position in Armenian (and non-Armenian) architecture history because it reproduces features of different periods of Armenian architecture.[122] It makes the building of "immense architectural interest."[123]

In the West, its style has traditionally[k] been described as Byzantine or linked to Byzantine architecture.[l] Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli disagreed, asserting that fourth century Armenian churches, including Etchmiadzin,[m] considerably differ from Justinian-era Byzantine architecture of Constantinople.[132] He argued that they are local creations that borrow technical elements from the East (Hatra, Sarvestan), but are "fundamentally Hellenistic" in their "formal structure and proportional relationships."[132] Similarly, Hewsen suggested that the design of the core of the church is a mixture of a Zoroastrian fire temple and a mausoleum of classical antiquity.[2]

Dimensions and appearance edit

The cathedral measures 33 by 30 metres (108 by 98 ft),[2] with its dome rising 34 metres (112 ft).[6] James Bryce deemed it small relative to its importance,[133] while H. F. B. Lynch suggested that it is small by Western standards but larger than other ancient Armenian churches.[134] Harold Buxton went so far as to call it a "tiny chapel".[135] Grigoryan argued that it is one of the largest churches of its time and, overall, one of the largest churches in Armenia.[136] Two Soviet authors described it as a "massive cube surmounted by a faceted cone on a simple cylinder."[137]

Jean Chardin called it a "substantial but dark structure, all built of large freestone."[138] James Morier noted that it is "built of excellent materials, and in a most solid manner."[139] Bryce found little distinctive about its exterior and Lynch did not admire its architecture.[140] Robert Ker Porter said its architecture is "of a rude character, when compared with even the roughest styles of Gothic churches that may be seen in England."[141] A National Geographic writer described it as an "austere and commanding work".[142] Luigi Villari opined that it is "unusual and interesting rather than beautiful, and altogether inferior to many other Armenian churches."[116] Robert H. Hewsen agreed; he noted that it is "neither the largest nor the most beautiful of Armenian churches", nevertheless, "the overall impression presented by the ensemble is inspiring, and Armenians hold the building in great reverence."[2]

The cathedral's core is built in grey stone, while the 17th century additions in bright red.[143] The rear extension, added by Catholicos Gevorg IV in 1868, was criticized by 19th century visitors for being out of harmony with the rest of the church. Telfer described it as being "in exquisitely bad taste",[144] while Lynch opined that it "perverts the original edifice."[145]

  •  
    View of the cathedral from the south-east
  •  
    Side view
  •  
    The bell tower
  •  
    The dome

Reliefs edit

The exterior contains extensive decorative geometric and floral patterns as well as blind arcades and medallions depicting saints.[34]

Greek inscriptions

The most significant reliefs are on the northern wall, which Vahagn Grigoryan has described as the most discussed sculptures of early medieval Armenia.[146] One depicts a standing Saint Thecla and Paul the Apostle seated on cross-legged stool.[147] The other contains an equal-armed cross (Greek cross) with a series of Greek inscriptions that contain several names, including Arxia, Elpid, Daniel, Tirer, and Garikinis, none of whom have been identified.[148] The last two are interpreted to be the Armenian names Tirayr and Garegin.[149] The stones measure 52 by 69 cm (20 by 27 in) and 47 by 66 cm (19 by 26 in).[150]

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

These reliefs have been tentatively dated between the first and sixth centuries.[151] Some like Shahkhatunian and Ghevont Alishan suggested that these reliefs were created before the invention of the Armenian alphabet c. 405, while Sirarpie Der Nersessian believed that they are from the fifth or sixth century.[152] Grigoryan insisted that the reliefs were created in the early fourth century and were part of the original building of Gregory the Illuminator.[153] According to Hasratyan, they are the earliest reliefs on the cathedral's walls and among the earliest examples of Christian Armenian sculpture art.[154]

Tibetan bell edit

The 17th century bell tower previously housed a bell with a Tibetan Buddhist inscription,[155] which was reported by foreign travelers and scholars throughout the 19th century.[156][n] The bell was removed in the late 1930s by the Soviets and has disappeared without a trace.[159] The inscription survives as a copy in an 1890 book by Ghevont Alishan:[160][161]

 

Dan Martin, a scholar of Tibet, wrote that the three-syllable mantra oṃ aḥ hūṃ, repeated thrice on the bell, is ubiquitous in Secret Mantra Buddhism and is used for blessing offerings. He argued that the inscription suggests that the bell was a consecrated Buddhist object.[162] An evidence of Armenian contacts with Buddhism,[20] the bell, Hewsen suggested, was "probably the long-forgotten gift of some Mongol or Ilkhanid khan."[2] Martin proposed an alternative theory; suggesting that the bell may have originally been housed at a Buddhist temple in the area and was later salvaged and transferred to Etchmiadzin or may have been brought from Lhasa to Armenia by New Julfa merchants in the 17th century, around the time the bell tower was built.[160]

Interior edit

Bryce and Villari found the interior impressive, while Lynch called it "sufficiently remarkable".[163] Porter found the interior "dark and gloomy" with the "ill-drawn, and worse-coloured" paintings and "dingy fresco" adding to the "gloom, without increasing the solemnity."[141] Telfer described it as "gloomy, ineffective, and entirely deficient in any fascinating touches of architectural force and decoration".[164] Bryce said it had a "certain sombre dignity, and an air of hoar antiquity about everything."[165]

Etchmiadzin's interior is extensively decorated with Persian-influenced frescoes.[19][166] They depict flowers, birds, scrollwork,[19] arabesque ornamentations.[167]

Stepanos Lehatsi (Stephen of Poland) painted the belfry in 1664.[2] The early frescoes inside the cathedral were restored in the 18th century.[2] In the 18th and 19th centuries, Armenian painters created frescoes of scenes from the old testament and Armenian saints.[2] Naghash Hovnatan painted parts of the interior between 1712 and 1721. His paintings on the dome and the painting of the Mother of God under the altar have survived to this day. Other members of the prominent Hovnatanian family (Hakob, Harutyun and Hovnatan) created paintings throughout the 18th century. Their work was continued by the succeeding generations of the same family (Mkrtum and Hakob) in the 19th century.[168]

The wooden doors of the cathedral were carved in Tiflis in 1889.[2] The paintings were moved out of the cathedral by the order of Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian in 1891 and are now kept in various museums in Armenia, including the National Gallery of Armenia.[34] The frescoes inside the cathedral were restored by Lydia Durnovo in 1956,[169] and in 1981–82 by Vardges Baghdasaryan.[170] In the 1950s, the stone floor was replaced with one of marble.[2]

  •  
  •  
    The cupola
  •  
    Frescoes on the dome
  •  
    The interior
  •  
    The altar
  •  
    The main entrance

Influence edit

 
The plan of the Bagaran cathedral
 
The plan of Germigny-des-Prés

On Armenian architecture edit

The design of the cathedral—classified as a "four-apsed square with ciborium,"[171] and called "Etchmiadzin-type" in Armenian architectural historiography[60]—was not common in Armenia in the early medieval period. The now-destroyed St. Theodore Church of Bagaran, dating from 624 to 631,[172] was the only known church with a significantly similar plan and structure from that period.[173][174] Hovhannes Khalpakhchian [ru; hy] suggested that the type is also seen in the Mastara Church (c. 600).[175]

In the 19th century, during an architectural revival that looked back to Armenia's past, Etchmiadzin's plan was directly copied in new Armenian churches.[176] Some notable examples from this period include the narthex of the St. Thaddeus Monastery in northern Iran, dating from 1811 or 1819 through 1830,[176][177] and the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, dating from 1868.[178][179]

Its plan was also replicated in the Armenian diaspora, such as in the plans and designs of the Armenian Church of Singapore (1835)[180] and the Armenian Church of Bucharest in Romania (1911–12).[181][182]

On European architecture edit

Josef Strzygowski, who was the first European to thoroughly study Armenian architecture[183] and place Armenia in the center of European architecture,[184] suggested that several churches and chapels in Western Europe have been influenced by the cathedrals of Etchmiadzin and Bagaran due to similarities found within their plans.[34][185] According to Strzygowski, some examples of churches influenced by Etchmiadzin and Bagaran are the 9th-century church of Germigny-des-Prés in France (built by Odo of Metz, probably an Armenian) and San Satiro of Milan, Italy.[o] This view was later supported by Alexander Sahinian and Varazdat Harutyunyan.[34] Sahinian suggested that Armenian church architecture was spread in Western Europe in the 8th–9th centuries by the Paulicians, who migrated from Armenia en mase after being suppressed by the Byzantines during the Iconoclasm period. Sahinian added many other medieval churches in Europe, such as the Palatine Chapel of Aachen in Germany, to the list of churches to have been influenced by the cathedrals of Etchmiadzin and Bagaran and by Byzantine decorative arts.[60] According to Murad Hasratyan, Etchmiadzin's design was spread to Europe via the Eastern Roman Empire and served as a model—besides Germigny-des-Prés and San Satiro—for the Nea Ekklesia church in Constantinople and the churches of Mount Athos in Greece.[187]

Protection and heritage designation edit

The cathedral and the surrounding complex covers an area of 16.4 hectares (41 acres) and is property of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin).[111] Recognized as a national monument in 1983 by the Soviet Armenian government, this designation was reaffirmed by the government of Armenia in 2002.[188] Joint councils consisting of the Ministry of Culture and the Armenian Apostolic Church are responsible for regulating its conservation, rehabilitation, and usage.[111] In 2000 the UNESCO added Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the churches of St. Hripsime, St. Gayane, Shoghakat and the ruined Zvartnots Cathedral to the list of World Heritage Sites. The UNESCO highlights that the cathedral and churches "graphically illustrate the evolution and development of the Armenian central-domed cross-hall type of church, which exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region."[111]

 
The Holy Lance in at Etchmiadzin

Relics edit

The museum of the cathedral has numerous items on display, including manuscripts and religious objects. Among its notable exhibits are the Holy Lance (Spear), relics belonging to Apostles of Jesus and John the Baptist, and a fragment of Noah's Ark.[189][190]

Significance edit

 
Etchmiadzin on a 2009 stamp of Armenia

The locus of Etchmiadzin is "a sanctified soil" similar to Temple Mount and the Golden Temple, for Jews and Sikhs, respectively.[191] In his first encyclical (1893) as Catholicos, Mkrtich Khrimian called the cathedral the "Zion of Ararat."[192][193] In 1991 Catholicos Vazgen I described the cathedral as "our Solomon's Temple."[194] The cathedral complex has been called "Armenian Vatican" as it is a major pilgrimage site for Armenians worldwide.[195][196] Since the cathedral has been so important to the development of Armenians' sense of identity, a pilgrimage to Etchmiadzin is "as much as ethnic as a religious experience."[197] Theodore Edward Dowling wrote in 1910 that Etchmiadzin and Mount Ararat are the "two great objects of Armenian veneration."[198]

For many centuries, Etchmiadzin was the national and political center of the stateless Armenian people, with one journalist describing it as "the focal point of Armenians everywhere."[199] Before the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia and the official designation of Yerevan as its capital in 1918, Western sources emphasized Etchmiadzin's political significance. A 1920 book prepared by the Historical Section of the British Foreign Office acknowledged that Etchmiadzin "was regarded as the national capital of the Armenians."[200]

Oldest cathedral edit

 
An aerial view of the cathedral and the Mother See complex surrounding it

Etchmiadzin is considered by a number of scholars as Armenia's first cathedral.[205] It has sometimes been described as Armenia's first church building,[206][44] but this claim has found little support among scholars. Robert W. Thomson,[207] Stepan Mnatsakanian,[208] Vrej Nersessian,[209] and Grigoryan[210] have all rejected it and posit that Armenia's first church was in Ashtishat, in the Taron region. A 2020 book on the cathedral, authorized by the Armenian Church, insisted that Etchmiadzin is the first church of Christian Armenia, although earlier Christian places of worship such as chapels or shrines existed prior.[211]

Robert W. Thomson argues that although Etchmiadzin was not the original center of the Armenian Church (which was and remained in Ashtishat until after the division of the country in 387), it had "clearly been a holy shrine" from the "earliest Christian time in Armenia."[212]

A number of sources also hold that Etchmiadzin is the oldest cathedral in the world.[219] According to Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East, it is "generally regarded" as the oldest cathedral in the world,[220] while historian Steven Gertz wrote in Christianity Today that Etchmiadzin is regarded as such "according to some scholars."[221]

A 1982 Soviet guidebook called it the "first Christian church to be built on the territory of the Soviet Union",[222] while Soviet travel writer Georgi Kublitsky wrote in 1984 that the cathedral is "believed by some to be the oldest extant building on Soviet territory."[223]

Notable visitors edit

 
"A view of Mount Ararat from the Three Churches", from the Joseph Pitton de Tournefort's A voyage into the Levant (1718). The cathedral is depicted on the middle right side.

Early European visitors to Etchmiadzin who gave descriptions of the cathedral included Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (before 1668),[224] Jean Chardin (1673),[225] Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (c. 1700),[226] James Morier (1810–16),[139] Robert Ker Porter (1817–20),[141] Friedrich Parrot (1829),[227] Eli Smith and H. G. O. Dwight (1829),[21] August von Haxthausen (1843),[228] Moritz Wagner (1843),[229] Douglas Freshfield (1869),[23] John Buchan Telfer (1870s),[230] James Bryce (1876),[231] H. F. B. Lynch (1893).[232]

Many prominent individuals have visited Etchmiadzin, including Russian diplomat and playwright Alexander Griboedov (1828),[233] Russian mystic Helena Blavatsky (1849),[234] Russian poets Valery Bryusov[235] and Andrei Bely (1929),[236] Fridtjof Nansen (1925),[237] Glenn T. Seaborg (1971),[238] Armenian American writer William Saroyan (1976),[239] English composer Benjamin Britten,[240] Russian singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky,[241] Russian-American poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky,[242] Andrei Sakharov,[243] Cher,[244] Alain Delon,[245] Kim Kardashian[246] and many others.

Religious leaders like Patriarch Cyril of Bulgaria (1967),[247] Archbishops of Canterbury Donald Coggan (1977)[248] and George Carey (1993),[249] Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia (1997, 2003),[250][251] Pope John Paul II (2001),[252] Bartholomew I of Constantinople (2001),[253] Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (2002),[254][255] Patriarch Kirill of Moscow (2010),[256] Pope Francis (2016) have visited Etchmiadzin. Francis gave a prayer at the cathedral on 24 June 2016, where he called the cathedral "a witness to the history of your people and the centre from which its spirituality radiates."[257]

Leaders of several countries, such as Russia (Vladimir Putin in 2005),[258] France (Jacques Chirac in 2006[259] and Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011),[260][261] Georgia (Mikheil Saakashvili in 2004,[262] Giorgi Margvelashvili in 2014),[263] Romania (Emil Constantinescu in 1998),[264] Lebanon (Michel Aoun, 2018),[265] Germany (Angela Merkel, 2018),[266][267] and royalty, such as Nicholas I of Russia (1837),[268] King Mahendra of Nepal (1958),[269] Prince Charles (2013)[270] have visited the cathedral as part of their state or private visits to Armenia.

Cultural depictions edit

 
Etchmiadzin on a 50,000 Armenian dram banknote
 
A fresco inside St. George's Church, Tbilisi, Georgia

The coat of arms of Russian-administered Erivan (Yerevan), approved in 1843, featured the cathedral.[271][272]

The Etchmiadzin monthly, the official periodical of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin founded in 1944, features the cathedral on its cover page as the logo.[273]

The Soviet Union and Armenia issued postage stamps depicting the cathedral in 1978 and 2009, respectively. The cathedral is depicted on the obverse side of the 50,000 dram banknote (2001) of Armenia.[274]

The cathedral has been depicted in painting by Grigory Gagarin (1847),[275] Panos Terlemezian (1903), and in books by John Mason Neale (1850),[130] August von Haxthausen (1854), John Ussher (1865), and others.

The floor mosaic, created by the 20th-century Israeli artist Hava Yofe, inside the Chapel of Saint Helena at Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre depicts the cathedral along with other major Armenian sites.[276] A relief of the cathedral was erected on the headquarters of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America next to the St. Vartan Cathedral in New York and silver plate depicting the cathedral is displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.[277]

In the 1991 film Mayrig, directed by French-Armenian director Henri Verneuil, footage of the cathedral is shown when Azad Zakarian, the main character and a son of Armenian genocide survivors, is being questioned about his faith in a Catholic school.[278]

References edit

Notes
  1. ^ Less commonly referred to as the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin,[7][8] Holy Etchmiadzin (Armenian: Սուրբ Էջմիածին, romanized: Surb Ejmiatsin) or simply Etchmiadzin. Alternatively spelled as Echmiadzin, Ejmiatsin,[9] and Edjmiadsin.[10]
  2. ^ The city has been called Vagharshapat for the most of its history. It was officially called Etchmiadzin or Ejmiatsin between 1945 and 1995. Nowadays, both names are used interchangeably.[11]
  3. ^ 301 AD is the traditional date,[27] first calculated by historian Mikayel Chamchian.[28] A growing number of authors argue that the correct date is 314 by citing the Edict of Milan.[29][30] Elizabeth Redgate writes that "the scholarly consensus is to prefer c. 314."[31][32]
  4. ^ It was likely dedicated to Ḫaldi or Teišeba.[35]
  5. ^ The temple is believed to have been dedicated to either goddess Anahit,[37][38][39] or archangel Sandaramet,[4][40][41] major figures in Zoroastrian-influenced Armenian mythology.
  6. ^ Վաղարշապատի Կաթողիկե եկեղեցի Vağaršapati Kat'oğike yekeghetsi)[46][47] or simply Kat'oghike (Կաթողիկե, literally "Cathedral").[34] Malachia Ormanian defined "katoghike" as "cathedral" and wrote that the word was used particularly for Etchmiadzin Cathedral. In modern Armenian, "katoghike" is also used to refer to the Catholic Church. It is derived from the Ancient Greek word καθολικός katholikos, which means "universal". The cathedral has been so called as a description of the "universality" of the Church.[48]
  7. ^ The remains of the 4th century apse, the fire temple and other architectural details are now kept at a special structure built relatively recently under the east apse.[5]
  8. ^ "In 483/484 ... the basic core of the current structure was created..."[2] "483–484 Reconstructed by Vahan Mamikonyan. Etchmiadzin develops the design we see today."[61]
  9. ^ «Ողբ ի դիմաց Կաթողիկէին», Voğb i dimats Katoğikein. The complete title is "Allegorical prosopopoeia on the Holy Cathedral at Vagharshapat"[67] («Բան բարառնական ոդեալ դիմառնաբար ի դիմաց Վաղարշապատու ս. Կաթուղիկէին», Ban barařnakan vodeal dimařnabar i dimats Vagharshapatu s. Katoğikein). It was first printed in Nor Nakhichevan in 1790.[68]
  10. ^ Ivan Aivazovsky subsequently offered his version based on Ivanov's original.[84]
  11. ^ In the 19th century, Armenian architecture was usually seen as a "provincial extension of Byzantine architecture"[124] and Byzantine influence was "somewhat exaggerated by 19th century archeologists."[125]
  12. ^ Its architectural style has been described as Byzantine by Murray's Handbook for Travellers,[126] Sven Hedin,[127] Günter Bandmann,[128] and "Armeno-Byzantine" by Alfred Dwight Foster Hamlin.[129] John Mason Neale suggested that its original ground plan is "that of an ordinary Byzantine church".[130] August von Haxthausen quoted Nerses V as describing the cupola as Byzantine, "probably [built] by architects from Constantinople a thousand years ago."[131]
  13. ^ Bandinelli lists the "cathedrals of Dvin and Echmiadzin, the churches of Kasakh and, possibly, Diraklar."
  14. ^ Starting as early as 1837 by Marie-Félicité Brosset.[157][158]
  15. ^ "...at Germigny-des-Prés (on the Loire, near Orleans) is an exact reproduction of the Armenian apse-buttressed square with free central pillars, dating from the ninth century. The latter type occurs also at Milan (San Satiro). In both cases the plan closely resembles that of Bagaran in Armenia."[186]
Citations
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Bibliography edit

Academic articles edit

  • Corley, Felix (1996). "The Armenian Church Under the Soviet Regime" (PDF). Religion, State & Society. 24 (1). Keston Institute: 9–53. doi:10.1080/09637499608431724. ISSN 0963-7494. (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  • Grigoryan, Vahagn (2012a). "Ագաթանգեղոսի "Հայոց պատմությունը" և Հայաստանի վաղ միջնադարի ճարտարապետության ուսումնասիրության խնդիրները [Agathangeghos's "History of Armenia" and Problems in the Study of the Early Medieval Armenian Architecture]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (1). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 14–37. ISSN 0135-0536. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  • Grigoryan, Vahagn (2012b). "Մայր տաճարի հնագույն երեք քանդակների թվագրման խնդիրը [The Problem of Dating the Three Earliest Reliefs of the Echmiadzin Cathedral]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (3). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 3–20. ISSN 0135-0536. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  • Grigoryan, Vahagn (1986). "Էջմիածնի մայր տաճարը [Cathedral of Etchmiadzin]". Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri (in Armenian) (7). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 77–85. ISSN 0320-8117. from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  • Harutyunyan, Varazdat (1984). "Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի հիմնական վերանորոգումը (1954–1955) [Fundamental restoration of Echmiadzin Cathedral temple (1954–1955)]". Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri (in Armenian) (10). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 56–67. ISSN 0320-8117. from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  • Harutiunian, Z. (1978). "Էջմիածին. Պատմական ակնարկ (Etchmiadzin: Historical Overview)". Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia Volume 4 (in Armenian). Yerevan. pp. 654–68.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Hasratyan, Murad (2003). "Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի ճարտարապետությունը Ղազար Փարպեցու օրոք [The Architecture of the Echmiadzin Cathedral in the Time of Lazarus Parpetsi]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (2). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 266–271. ISSN 0135-0536. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  • Khatchatrian, Armen (1962). "Données historiques sur la fondation d'Edjmiatsin à la lumière des fouilles récentes [Historical data on the foundation of Edjmiatsin in the light of recent excavations]". Handes Amsorya (in French) (1–2). Vienna: Mechitharisten-Congregation. ISSN 0017-7377. OCLC 26019166.
  • Mnatsakanian, Stepan (1987). "Вопросы формирования Эчмиадзинского кафедрала в контексте эволюции крестовокупольных систем [Structural Principles of the Cathedral of Echmiadzin within the Context of Developing Systems of Cross-Shaped Cupolas]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (1). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 147–158. ISSN 0135-0536. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  • Sahinian, Alexander (1966). "Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի սկզբնական տեսքը [The Original Shape of the Cathedral of Echmiatsin]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (3). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 71–94. from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  • Sahinian, Alexander (1978). "Մոդուլային համակարգը Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի V դարի գմբեթակիր կառուցվածքում [The Module System in the 5th Century Cupola Structures of the Cathedral of Echmiadzin]". Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian) (2). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences: 140–158. from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  • Sahinian, Alexander; Zarian, A.; Ghazarian, M. (1978). "Էջմիածնի Մայր Տաճար [Etchmiadzin Cathedral]". Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia Volume 4 (in Armenian). Yerevan. pp. 71–73.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Ter-Movsisian, Mesrovb (1907). "Էջմիածին եւ հայոց հնագոյն եկեղեցիներ [Etchmiadzin and ancient Armenian churches]". Azgagrakan Handes (in Armenian). 16. Tiflis: Yervand Lalayan: 130–204. from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  • Hovsepian, Shahen (2021). (PDF). Vardzk (in Armenian). 15. Research on Armenian Architecture: 48–52. ISSN 1829-2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2021.

Published books edit

Specific
  • Ashjian, Mesrob, ed. (2003). The Etchmiadzin chronicles (in English, Italian, Russian, German, French, and Armenian). Yerevan: Moughni Publishers. ISBN 99941-33-04-7.
  • Balakian, Grigoris (1911). Ս. Էջմիածնի բարեկարգութեան պէտքը [Holy Ejmiatsin in Need of Renovation] (in Armenian). Constantinople: Shant.
  • Bastamiants, Vahan (1877). Նկարագրութիւն Մայր եկեղեցիոյն հայոց Ս. Էջմիածնի [Description of Mother Church of Holy Ejmiatsin] (in Armenian and Russian). Vagharshapat.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Harutyunyan, Varazdat (1978). Էջմիածին [Ējmiatsin] (in Armenian). Yerevan: Sovetakan Grogh. OCLC 19983186.
  • Harutyunyan, Varazdat; Société pour la protection des monuments historiques et culturels de la RSS d'Arménie (1985). Etchmiadsin (in French). Yerevan: Hayastan. OCLC 78980119.
  • Harutyunyan, Varazdat (1988). Եկայք շինեսցուք: Պատմութիւն Ս. Էջմիածնի Մայր Աթոռի շինարարական գործունէութեան Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս Վազգէն Առաջինի գահակալութեան շրջանում (1955–1988) [History of construction activities at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin during the reign of Vazgen I (1955–1988)] (in Armenian). Los Angeles: Erebuni.
  • Kazarian, Armen (2007). Кафедральный собор Сурб Эчмиадзин и восточнохристианское зодчество IV-VII веков [Cathedral of Holy Ejmiacin and the Eastern Christian architecture of the 4th-7th centuries] (in Russian). Moscow: Locus Standi. ISBN 978-5-94428-041-1.
  • Miller, Julie A. (1996). "Echmiadzin (Armenia)". In Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert M.; La Boda, Sharon (eds.). International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa. Vol. 4. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. pp. 250–253. ISBN 978-1-884964-03-9. from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  • Parsamian, Vardan (1931). Էջմիածինն անցյալում: Պատմական ուսումնասիրության փորձ [Etchmiadzin in the past: An attempt of historical research] (in Armenian). Pethrat: Yerevan.
  • Sahinian, Alexander (1978). Ս. Էջմիածին / Св. Эчмиадзин / St. Etchmiadzine (in Armenian, Russian, and French). Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. OCLC 47168540.
  • Shahkhatunian, Hovhannes [in Armenian] (1842). Ստորագրութիւն Կաթուղիկէ Էջմիածնի եւ հինգ գաւառացն Արարատայ [Description of the Cathedral of Ejmiacin and of the Five Districts of Ararat], 2 vols (in Armenian). Holy Ejmiacin.
  • Toramanian, Toros (1910). Էջմիածնի տաճարը: Ճարտարապետական եւ հնագիտական հետազօտութիւններ [Etchmiadzin Cathedral: Architectural and Archaeological Studies] (in Armenian). Tiflis: Aganiants Publishing.
  • Նկարագրութիւն Սուրբ Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի [Description of the Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral] (in Armenian). Vagharshapat: Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral Publishing. 1890. OCLC 861620582.
  • Ս. Էջմիածին 303–1903: Պատկերազարդ նկարագրութիւն [Holy Etchmiadzin 303–1903: Illustrated description] (in Armenian). San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice: Mechitarist Order. 1903. OCLC 35048877.
  • Սուրբ Էջմիածին: 1600-րդ տարեդարձ (303–1903) [Holy Etchmiadzin: 1600th anniversary (303–1903)] (in Armenian). Saint Petersburg: Pushkinean Aragatip. 1903. OCLC 46338801.
  • Khachatryan, Tovma (2020). Սուրբ Էջմիածին. քրիստոնեական առաջին գմբեթավոր տաճարը [Holy Etchmiadzin: The First Christian Domed Church] (in Armenian). Ejmiatsin: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Press. ISBN 9789939592497.
General

January 01, 1970
etchmiadzin, cathedral, armenian, Էջմիածնի, մայր, տաճար, romanized, Ēǰmiaçni, mayr, tač, mother, church, armenian, apostolic, church, located, city, dually, known, etchmiadzin, ejmiatsin, vagharshapat, armenia, usually, considered, first, cathedral, built, anc. Etchmiadzin Cathedral a Armenian Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար romanized Eǰmiacni mayr tac ar is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church located in the city dually known as Etchmiadzin Ejmiatsin and Vagharshapat Armenia b It is usually considered the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia and often regarded the oldest cathedral in the world Etchmiadzin CathedralReligionAffiliationArmenian Apostolic ChurchRiteArmenianLeadershipCatholicos of All ArmeniansStatusActive under renovationLocationLocationVagharshapat Armavir Province ArmeniaShown within ArmeniaGeographic coordinates40 9 42 7 N 44 17 27 6 E 40 161861 N 44 291000 E 40 161861 44 291000ArchitectureTypeCathedralStyleArmenianFounderGregory the Illuminator original Groundbreaking301 original building traditional date 1 Completed303 original building traditional date 1 483 4 1868 current building 483 4 core 2 3 17th century dome 4 5 1654 58 belfry 2 1682 smaller belfries with turrets 2 1868 sacristy 2 SpecificationsLength33 m 108 ft 2 Width30 m 98 ft 2 Dome height outer 34 m 112 ft 6 UNESCO World Heritage SiteOfficial name Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of ZvartnotsTypeCulturalCriteria ii iii Designated2000 24th session Reference no 1011 001RegionWestern Asia The original church was built in the early fourth century 12 between 301 and 303 according to tradition by Armenia s patron saint Gregory the Illuminator following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III It was built over a pagan temple symbolizing the conversion from paganism to Christianity The core of the current building was built in 483 4 by Vahan Mamikonian after the cathedral was severely damaged in a Persian invasion From its foundation until the second half of the fifth century Etchmiadzin was the seat of the Catholicos the supreme head of the Armenian Church Although never losing its significance the cathedral subsequently suffered centuries of virtual neglect In 1441 it was restored as catholicosate and remains as such to this day 13 Since then the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin has been the administrative headquarters of the Armenian Church Etchmiadzin was plundered by Shah Abbas I of Persia in 1604 when relics and stones were taken out of the cathedral to New Julfa in an effort to undermine Armenians attachment to their land Since then the cathedral has undergone a number of renovations Belfries were added in the latter half of the seventeenth century and in 1868 a sacristy museum and room of relics was constructed at the cathedral s east end 2 Today it incorporates styles of different periods of Armenian architecture Diminished during the early Soviet period Etchmiadzin revived again in the second half of the twentieth century and under independent Armenia 2 As the center of Armenian Christianity Etchmiadzin has been an important location in Armenia not only religiously but also politically and culturally 14 A major pilgrimage site it is one of the most visited places in the country 15 Along with several important early medieval churches located nearby the cathedral was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000 Contents 1 Setting 2 History 2 1 Foundation and etymology 2 2 Reconstruction and decline 2 3 From revival to plunder 2 4 17th 18th centuries 2 5 Russian takeover 2 6 20th century and on 2 7 Soviet period 2 7 1 Suppression 2 7 2 Revival 2 8 Independent Armenia 3 Architecture 3 1 Style 3 2 Dimensions and appearance 3 3 Reliefs 3 4 Tibetan bell 3 5 Interior 3 6 Influence 3 6 1 On Armenian architecture 3 6 2 On European architecture 4 Protection and heritage designation 5 Relics 6 Significance 7 Oldest cathedral 8 Notable visitors 9 Cultural depictions 10 References 11 Bibliography 11 1 Academic articles 11 2 Published booksSetting edit nbsp A map of Vagharshapat and the Etchmiadzin monastery in the late 19th century by Ghevont Alishan The cathedral is located at the center of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin the headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the town dually known as Vagharshapat or Etchmiadzin Ejmiatsin For much of its history the complex around the cathedral which includes the residence of the Catholicos patriarch was known as the Monastery of Etchmiadzin 16 17 18 It was formerly surrounded by 30 ft 9 1 m high 16 19 walls made of brick 19 16 or cob 20 and had eight circular towers turrets 17 21 22 Its external appearance led to 19th century visitors to widely compare it to a fortress 21 17 16 23 The walled monastery a vast quadrangular enclosure 24 could have been accessed through four gates 16 The cathedral stood and continues to stand at the center of a courtyard a quadrangle which by Lynch s measurements in the 1890s was 349 feet 6 inches 106 53 m by 335 feet 2 inches 102 16 m making it larger than the Trinity Great Court in Cambridge England 25 He suggested that it may have been at the time the largest quadrangle in the world 25 26 History edit nbsp nbsp A relief of Gregory the Illuminator on the cathedral s western belfry 1650s and a 1901 painting of Gregory s vision by Yeghishe Tadevosyan Foundation and etymology edit In the early fourth century the Kingdom of Armenia under Tiridates III become the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion c Armenian church tradition places the cathedral s foundation between 301 and 303 4 It was built near the royal palace in what was then the Armenian capital of Vagharshapat 1 on the site of a pagan temple which was dated by Alexander Sahinian to the Urartian period 12 Although no historical sources point to a pre Christian place of worship in its place a granite Urartian stele dated to the 8th 6th centuries BC was excavated under the main altar in the 1950s 33 34 d Also excavated under the altar was an amphora which has been interpreted to have been a part of a fire temple 36 e In his History of the Armenians Agathangelos narrates the legend of the cathedral s foundation Armenia s patron saint Gregory the Illuminator had a divine vision descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built Later tradition associated the figure with Jesus Christ 42 hence the name of Etchmiadzin էջ eĵ descent մի mi only ա a linking element ծին tsin begotten 43 which translates to the Descent of the Only Begotten Son of God 2 44 or Descended the Only Begotten 45 However the name Etchmiadzin did not come into use until the 15th century 4 while earlier sources call it Cathedral of Vagharshapat f The Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin Տոն Կաթողիկե Սբ Էջմիածնի is celebrated by the Armenian Church 64 days after Easter during which a hymn written by the 8th century Catholicos Sahak III retelling St Gregory s vision is sung 48 The form of the original fourth century churchas proposed by Alexander Sahinian 1966 49 nbsp nbsp nbsp Malachia Ormanian suggested that the cathedral was built in 303 within seven months because the building was not huge and probably partially made of wood He also argued that the foundation of the preexisting temple could have been preserved 50 Vahagn Grigoryan dismisses these dates as implausible and states that at least several years were needed for its construction He cites Agathangelos who does not mention the cathedral in an episode that took place in 306 and suggests the usage of the span of 302 to 325 the reign of Gregory the Illuminator as Catholicos as the dates of the cathedral s construction 50 Archaeological excavations in 1955 56 and 1959 led by Alexander Sahinian uncovered the remains of the original fourth century building including two levels of pillar bases below the current ones and a narrower altar apse under the present one 1 34 Based on these findings Sahinian asserted that the original church had been a three naved 51 vaulted basilica 1 similar to the basilicas of Tekor Ashtarak and Aparan Kasagh 52 However other scholars have rejected Sahinian s view 53 Among them Suren Yeremian and Armen Khatchatrian held that the original church had been in the form of a rectangle with a dome supported by four pillars 51 Stepan Mnatsakanian suggested that the original building had been a canopy erected on a cross plan while Vahagn Grigoryan proposes what Mnatsakanian describes as an extreme view 54 that the cathedral has been essentially in the same form as it is today 51 Reconstruction and decline edit nbsp The ground plan of the cathedral after the 5th century reconstruction According to Faustus of Byzantium the cathedral and the city of Vagharshapat were almost completely destroyed during the invasion of Sasanian King Shapur II in the 360s 55 circa 363 2 56 Due to Armenia s unfavorable economic conditions the cathedral was renovated only partially by Catholicoi Nerses the Great r 353 373 and Sahak Parthev r 387 439 12 In 387 Armenia was partitioned between the Roman and Sasanian Empires Etchmiadzin became part of the Persian controlled east under the rule of Armenian vassal kings until 428 when the Armenian Kingdom was dissolved 57 In 450 in an attempt to impose Zoroastrianism on Armenians Sasanian King Yazdegerd II built a fire temple inside the cathedral 5 The pyre of the fire temple was unearthed under the altar of the east apse during the excavations in the 1950s 34 g By the last quarter of the fifth century the cathedral was dilapidated 58 According to Ghazar Parpetsi it was rebuilt from the foundations by marzban governor of Persian Armenia Vahan Mamikonian in 483 4 59 when the country was relatively stable 60 following the struggle for religious freedom against Persia 59 Most 58 researchers have concluded that thus the church was converted into cruciform church and mostly took its current form h The new church was very different from the original one and consisted of quadric apsidal hall built of dull grey stone containing four free standing cross shaped pillars disdained to support a stone cupola The new cathedral was in the form of a square enclosing a Greek cross and contains two chapels one on either side of the east apse 2 Although the seat of the Catholicos was transferred to Dvin sometime in the 460s 470s 62 or 484 63 64 the cathedral never lost its significance and remained one of the greatest shrines of the Armenian Church 65 The last known renovations until the 15th century were made by Catholicos Komitas in 618 according to Sebeos and Catholicos Nerses III r 640 661 2 34 In 982 the cross of the cathedral was reportedly removed by an Arab emir 61 Over the course of these centuries of neglect the cathedral deteriorated to such an extent that it inspired the renowned archbishop Stepanos Orbelian to compose one of his better known poems Lament on Behalf of the Cathedral in 1300 66 i In the poem which tells about the consequences of the Mongol and Mamluk invasions of Armenia and Cilicia Orbelian portrays Etchmiadzin Cathedral as a woman in mourning contemplating her former splendor and exhorting her children to return to their homeland and restore its glory 69 From revival to plunder edit Following the fall of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in 1375 the See of Sis experienced decline and disarray The Catholicosate of Aghtamar and the locally influential Syunik bishops enhanced the importance of the region around Etchmiadzin In 1441 a general council of several hundred religious figures met in Etchmiadzin and voted to reestablish a catholicosate there 70 The cathedral was restored by Catholicos Kirakos Cyriacus between 1441 and 1443 2 At that time Etchmiadzin was under the control of the Turkic Kara Koyunlu but in 1502 Safavid Iran gained control of parts of Armenia including Etchmiadzin and granted the Armenian Church some privileges 71 nbsp A detail from a 1691 map of Armenia by Eremya Celebi an Ottoman Armenian traveler During the 16th and 17th centuries Armenia suffered from its location between Persia and Ottoman Turkey and the conflicts between those two empires Concurrently with the deportation of up to 350 000 Armenians into Persia by Shah Abbas I as part of the scorched earth policy during the war with the Ottoman Empire 72 73 Etchmiadzin was plundered in 1604 71 The Shah wanted to dispel Armenian hopes of returning to their homeland 74 by moving the religious center of the Armenians to Iran 75 in order to provide Persia with a strong Armenian presence 76 He wanted to destroy the cathedral and have it physically transferred to the newly founded Armenian community of New Julfa near the royal capital of Isfahan 75 77 Shah Abbas offered the prospective new cathedral in New Julfa to the Pope 77 Etchmiadzin was not moved possibly because of the high costs 78 In the event only some important stones the altar the stone where Jesus Christ descended according to tradition and Armenian Church s holiest relic 79 the Right Arm of Gregory the Illuminator were moved to New Julfa 60 They were incorporated in the local Armenian St Georg Church when it was built in 1611 74 80 Fifteen stones from Etchmiadzin still remain at St Georg 78 nbsp An engraving of Etchmiadzin in the late 17th century by Jean Chardin from 1811 edition 81 17th 18th centuries edit Since 1627 the cathedral underwent a major renovation under Catholicos Movses Moses when the dome ceiling roof foundations and paving were repaired 60 At this time cells for monks a guesthouse and other structures were built around the cathedral 34 Additionally a wall was built around the cathedral making it a fort like complex 60 The renovation works were interrupted by the Ottoman Safavid War of 1635 36 during which the cathedral remained intact 34 The renovations resumed under Catholicos Pilippos 1632 55 who built new cells for monks and renovated the roof 34 During this century belfries were added to many Armenian churches 61 In 1653 54 he started the construction of the belfry in the western wing of Etchmiadzin Cathedral It was completed in 1658 by Catholicos Hakob IV Jugayetsi 60 Decades later in 1682 Catholicos Yeghiazar constructed smaller bell towers with red tuff turrets on the southern eastern and northern wings 2 34 The renovations of Etchmiadzin continued during the 18th century In 1720 Catholicos Astvatsatur and then in 1777 83 Simeon I of Yerevan took actions in preserving the cathedral 34 In 1770 Simeon I established a publishing house near Etchmiadzin the first in Armenia 82 2 During Simeon s reign the monastery was completely walled and separated from the city of Vagharshapat 4 Catholicos Ghukas Lucas continued the renovations in 1784 86 34 nbsp A 1783 watercolor of the churches of Etchmiadzin by Mikhail Matveevich Ivanov 83 j From left to right Hripsime Gayane Etchmiadzin Cathedral and Shoghakat 85 nbsp Painting of the cathedral by an unknown European artist 1870s Russian takeover edit The Russian Empire gradually penetrated Transcaucasia by the early 19th century Persia s Erivan Khanate in which Etchmiadzin was located became an important target for the Russians In June 1804 during the Russo Persian War 1804 13 the Russian troops led by General Pavel Tsitsianov tried to take Etchmiadzin but failed 86 87 A few days after the attempt the Russians returned to Etchmiadzin where they caught a different Persian force by surprise and routed them 87 86 Tsitsianov s forces entered Etchmiadzin which according to Auguste Bontems Lefort a contemporary French military envoy to Persia they looted seriously damaging the Armenian religious buildings 87 Shortly after the Russians were forced to withdraw from the area as a result of the successful Persian defense of Erivan 87 88 89 According to Bontems Lefort the Russian behaviour at Etchmiadzin contrasted with that of the Persian king who treated the local Christian population with respect 87 On 13 April 1827 during the Russo Persian War 1826 28 Etchmiadzin was captured by the Russian General Ivan Paskevich s troops without fight and was formally annexed by Russia with the Persian controlled parts of Armenia roughly corresponding to the territory of the modern Republic of Armenia also known as Eastern Armenia according to the 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay 90 The cathedral prospered under Russian rule despite the suspicions that the Imperial Russian government had about Etchmiadzin becoming a possible center of the Armenian nationalist sentiment 2 Formally Etchmiadzin became the religious center of the Armenians living within the Russian Empire by the 1836 statute or constitution polozhenie 91 In 1868 Catholicos Gevorg George IV made the last major alteration to the cathedral by adding a sacristy museum and room of relics to its east end 2 In 1874 he established the Gevorgian Seminary a theological school college located on the cathedral s premises 92 2 Catholicos Markar I undertook the restoration of the interior of the cathedral in 1888 61 20th century and on edit nbsp The monastery of Etchmiadzin in the early 20th century with Mount Ararat in the background nbsp Etchmiadzin c 1910 In 1903 the Russian government issued an edict to confiscate the properties of the Armenian Church including the treasures of Etchmiadzin 2 Russian policemen and soldiers entered and occupied the cathedral 93 94 Due to popular resistance and the personal defiance of Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian the edict was canceled in 1905 91 During the Armenian genocide the cathedral of Etchmiadzin and its surrounding became a major center for Turkish Armenian refugees At the end of 1918 there were about 70 000 refugees in the Etchmiadzin district 95 A hospital and an orphanage within the cathedral s grounds were established and maintained by the U S based Armenian Near East Relief by 1919 2 In the spring of 1918 the cathedral was in danger of an attack by the Turks 96 Prior to the May 1918 Battle of Sardarabad which took place just miles away from the cathedral the civilian and military leadership of Armenia suggested Catholicos Gevorg George V to leave for Byurakan for security purposes but he refused 97 98 The Armenian forces eventually repelled the Turkish offensive and set the foundations of the First Republic of Armenia Soviet period edit Suppression edit After two years of independence Armenia was Sovietized in December 1920 During the 1921 February Uprising Etchmiadzin was briefly until April taken over by the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation which had dominated the pre Soviet Armenian government between 1918 and 1920 99 In December 1923 the southern apse of the cathedral collapsed It was restored under Toros Toramanian s supervision in what was the first case of restoration of an architectural monument in Soviet Armenia 100 nbsp The Soviet government issued a postage stamp depicting the cathedral in 1978 During the Great Purge and the radical state atheist policies in the late 1930s the cathedral was a besieged institution as the campaign was underway to eradicate religion 101 The repressions climaxed when Catholicos Khoren I was murdered in April 1938 by the NKVD 102 In August of that year the Armenian Communist Party decided to close down the monastery but the central Soviet government seemingly did not approve of such a measure 103 Isolated from the outside world the cathedral barely continued to function and its administrators were reduced to some twenty people 2 It was reportedly the only church in Soviet Armenia not to have been seized by the Communist government 104 The dissident anti Soviet Armenian diocese in the US wrote that the great cathedral became a hollow monument 105 Revival edit Etchmiadzin slowly recovered its religious importance during World War II The Holy See s official magazine resumed publication in 1944 while the seminary was reopened in September 1945 106 In 1945 Catholicos Gevorg VI was elected after the seven year vacancy of the position The number of baptisms conducted at Etchmiadzin rose greatly from 200 in 1949 to around 1 700 in 1951 107 Nevertheless the cathedral s role was downplayed by the Communist official circles For them the ecclesiastical Echmiadzin belongs irrevocably to the past and even if the monastery and the cathedral are occasionally the scene of impressive ceremonies including the election of a new catholicos this has little importance from the communist point of view wrote Walter Kolarz in 1961 108 Etchmiadzin revived under Catholicos Vazgen I since the Khrushchev Thaw in the mid 1950s following Stalin s death Archaeological excavations were held in 1955 56 and in 1959 the cathedral underwent a major renovation during this period 61 34 Wealthy diaspora benefactors such as Calouste Gulbenkian and Alex Manoogian financially assisted the renovation of the cathedral 61 Gulbenkian alone provided 400 000 109 Independent Armenia edit nbsp An aerial view of the cathedral undergoing restoration in 2021 In 2000 110 Etchmiadzin underwent a renovation prior to the celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of the Christianization of Armenia in 2001 61 Its metal roof was replaced by stone slabs 111 In 2003 the 1700th anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral was celebrated by the Armenian Church 112 Catholicos Karekin II declared 2003 the Year of Holy Etchmiadzin 113 In September of that year an academic conference on the cathedral was held at the Pontifical Residence 114 The latest renovation of the cathedral began in 2012 110 with a focus on strengthening and restoring the dome and the roof 115 Architecture edit nbsp The present day ground plan of Etchmiadzin Style edit Etchmiadzin has a cruciform plan four free standing piers and four projecting apses which are semicircular on the interior and polygonal on the exterior 34 Its roof is mostly flat except the conspicuous central cupola with the typically Armenian conical roof on a polygonal drum and the four small belfries on top of the apses 116 117 Although the cathedral was renovated many times through the centuries and significant additions were made in the 17th and 19th centuries it largely retains the form of the building constructed in 483 4 119 especially the floor plan 120 The fifth century building is the core of the cathedral while the stone cupola turrets belfry and rear extension are later additions 2 According to Varazdat Harutyunyan its dome was originally wooden and was replaced with a stone one in a subsequent renovation 121 Portions of the northern and eastern walls of the original building have survived 55 Alexander Sahinian argued that Etchmiadzin holds a unique position in Armenian and non Armenian architecture history because it reproduces features of different periods of Armenian architecture 122 It makes the building of immense architectural interest 123 In the West its style has traditionally k been described as Byzantine or linked to Byzantine architecture l Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli disagreed asserting that fourth century Armenian churches including Etchmiadzin m considerably differ from Justinian era Byzantine architecture of Constantinople 132 He argued that they are local creations that borrow technical elements from the East Hatra Sarvestan but are fundamentally Hellenistic in their formal structure and proportional relationships 132 Similarly Hewsen suggested that the design of the core of the church is a mixture of a Zoroastrian fire temple and a mausoleum of classical antiquity 2 Dimensions and appearance edit The cathedral measures 33 by 30 metres 108 by 98 ft 2 with its dome rising 34 metres 112 ft 6 James Bryce deemed it small relative to its importance 133 while H F B Lynch suggested that it is small by Western standards but larger than other ancient Armenian churches 134 Harold Buxton went so far as to call it a tiny chapel 135 Grigoryan argued that it is one of the largest churches of its time and overall one of the largest churches in Armenia 136 Two Soviet authors described it as a massive cube surmounted by a faceted cone on a simple cylinder 137 Jean Chardin called it a substantial but dark structure all built of large freestone 138 James Morier noted that it is built of excellent materials and in a most solid manner 139 Bryce found little distinctive about its exterior and Lynch did not admire its architecture 140 Robert Ker Porter said its architecture is of a rude character when compared with even the roughest styles of Gothic churches that may be seen in England 141 A National Geographic writer described it as an austere and commanding work 142 Luigi Villari opined that it is unusual and interesting rather than beautiful and altogether inferior to many other Armenian churches 116 Robert H Hewsen agreed he noted that it is neither the largest nor the most beautiful of Armenian churches nevertheless the overall impression presented by the ensemble is inspiring and Armenians hold the building in great reverence 2 The cathedral s core is built in grey stone while the 17th century additions in bright red 143 The rear extension added by Catholicos Gevorg IV in 1868 was criticized by 19th century visitors for being out of harmony with the rest of the church Telfer described it as being in exquisitely bad taste 144 while Lynch opined that it perverts the original edifice 145 nbsp View of the cathedral from the south east nbsp Side view nbsp The bell tower nbsp The dome Reliefs edit The exterior contains extensive decorative geometric and floral patterns as well as blind arcades and medallions depicting saints 34 Greek inscriptions The most significant reliefs are on the northern wall which Vahagn Grigoryan has described as the most discussed sculptures of early medieval Armenia 146 One depicts a standing Saint Thecla and Paul the Apostle seated on cross legged stool 147 The other contains an equal armed cross Greek cross with a series of Greek inscriptions that contain several names including Arxia Elpid Daniel Tirer and Garikinis none of whom have been identified 148 The last two are interpreted to be the Armenian names Tirayr and Garegin 149 The stones measure 52 by 69 cm 20 by 27 in and 47 by 66 cm 19 by 26 in 150 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp These reliefs have been tentatively dated between the first and sixth centuries 151 Some like Shahkhatunian and Ghevont Alishan suggested that these reliefs were created before the invention of the Armenian alphabet c 405 while Sirarpie Der Nersessian believed that they are from the fifth or sixth century 152 Grigoryan insisted that the reliefs were created in the early fourth century and were part of the original building of Gregory the Illuminator 153 According to Hasratyan they are the earliest reliefs on the cathedral s walls and among the earliest examples of Christian Armenian sculpture art 154 Tibetan bell edit The 17th century bell tower previously housed a bell with a Tibetan Buddhist inscription 155 which was reported by foreign travelers and scholars throughout the 19th century 156 n The bell was removed in the late 1930s by the Soviets and has disappeared without a trace 159 The inscription survives as a copy in an 1890 book by Ghevont Alishan 160 161 nbsp Dan Martin a scholar of Tibet wrote that the three syllable mantra oṃ aḥ huṃ repeated thrice on the bell is ubiquitous in Secret Mantra Buddhism and is used for blessing offerings He argued that the inscription suggests that the bell was a consecrated Buddhist object 162 An evidence of Armenian contacts with Buddhism 20 the bell Hewsen suggested was probably the long forgotten gift of some Mongol or Ilkhanid khan 2 Martin proposed an alternative theory suggesting that the bell may have originally been housed at a Buddhist temple in the area and was later salvaged and transferred to Etchmiadzin or may have been brought from Lhasa to Armenia by New Julfa merchants in the 17th century around the time the bell tower was built 160 Interior edit Bryce and Villari found the interior impressive while Lynch called it sufficiently remarkable 163 Porter found the interior dark and gloomy with the ill drawn and worse coloured paintings and dingy fresco adding to the gloom without increasing the solemnity 141 Telfer described it as gloomy ineffective and entirely deficient in any fascinating touches of architectural force and decoration 164 Bryce said it had a certain sombre dignity and an air of hoar antiquity about everything 165 Etchmiadzin s interior is extensively decorated with Persian influenced frescoes 19 166 They depict flowers birds scrollwork 19 arabesque ornamentations 167 Stepanos Lehatsi Stephen of Poland painted the belfry in 1664 2 The early frescoes inside the cathedral were restored in the 18th century 2 In the 18th and 19th centuries Armenian painters created frescoes of scenes from the old testament and Armenian saints 2 Naghash Hovnatan painted parts of the interior between 1712 and 1721 His paintings on the dome and the painting of the Mother of God under the altar have survived to this day Other members of the prominent Hovnatanian family Hakob Harutyun and Hovnatan created paintings throughout the 18th century Their work was continued by the succeeding generations of the same family Mkrtum and Hakob in the 19th century 168 The wooden doors of the cathedral were carved in Tiflis in 1889 2 The paintings were moved out of the cathedral by the order of Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian in 1891 and are now kept in various museums in Armenia including the National Gallery of Armenia 34 The frescoes inside the cathedral were restored by Lydia Durnovo in 1956 169 and in 1981 82 by Vardges Baghdasaryan 170 In the 1950s the stone floor was replaced with one of marble 2 nbsp nbsp The cupola nbsp Frescoes on the dome nbsp The interior nbsp The altar nbsp The main entrance Influence edit nbsp The plan of the Bagaran cathedral nbsp The plan of Germigny des Pres On Armenian architecture edit The design of the cathedral classified as a four apsed square with ciborium 171 and called Etchmiadzin type in Armenian architectural historiography 60 was not common in Armenia in the early medieval period The now destroyed St Theodore Church of Bagaran dating from 624 to 631 172 was the only known church with a significantly similar plan and structure from that period 173 174 Hovhannes Khalpakhchian ru hy suggested that the type is also seen in the Mastara Church c 600 175 In the 19th century during an architectural revival that looked back to Armenia s past Etchmiadzin s plan was directly copied in new Armenian churches 176 Some notable examples from this period include the narthex of the St Thaddeus Monastery in northern Iran dating from 1811 or 1819 through 1830 176 177 and the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi dating from 1868 178 179 Its plan was also replicated in the Armenian diaspora such as in the plans and designs of the Armenian Church of Singapore 1835 180 and the Armenian Church of Bucharest in Romania 1911 12 181 182 On European architecture edit Josef Strzygowski who was the first European to thoroughly study Armenian architecture 183 and place Armenia in the center of European architecture 184 suggested that several churches and chapels in Western Europe have been influenced by the cathedrals of Etchmiadzin and Bagaran due to similarities found within their plans 34 185 According to Strzygowski some examples of churches influenced by Etchmiadzin and Bagaran are the 9th century church of Germigny des Pres in France built by Odo of Metz probably an Armenian and San Satiro of Milan Italy o This view was later supported by Alexander Sahinian and Varazdat Harutyunyan 34 Sahinian suggested that Armenian church architecture was spread in Western Europe in the 8th 9th centuries by the Paulicians who migrated from Armenia en mase after being suppressed by the Byzantines during the Iconoclasm period Sahinian added many other medieval churches in Europe such as the Palatine Chapel of Aachen in Germany to the list of churches to have been influenced by the cathedrals of Etchmiadzin and Bagaran and by Byzantine decorative arts 60 According to Murad Hasratyan Etchmiadzin s design was spread to Europe via the Eastern Roman Empire and served as a model besides Germigny des Pres and San Satiro for the Nea Ekklesia church in Constantinople and the churches of Mount Athos in Greece 187 Protection and heritage designation editThe cathedral and the surrounding complex covers an area of 16 4 hectares 41 acres and is property of the Armenian Apostolic Church Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin 111 Recognized as a national monument in 1983 by the Soviet Armenian government this designation was reaffirmed by the government of Armenia in 2002 188 Joint councils consisting of the Ministry of Culture and the Armenian Apostolic Church are responsible for regulating its conservation rehabilitation and usage 111 In 2000 the UNESCO added Etchmiadzin Cathedral the churches of St Hripsime St Gayane Shoghakat and the ruined Zvartnots Cathedral to the list of World Heritage Sites The UNESCO highlights that the cathedral and churches graphically illustrate the evolution and development of the Armenian central domed cross hall type of church which exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region 111 nbsp The Holy Lance in at EtchmiadzinRelics editThe museum of the cathedral has numerous items on display including manuscripts and religious objects Among its notable exhibits are the Holy Lance Spear relics belonging to Apostles of Jesus and John the Baptist and a fragment of Noah s Ark 189 190 Significance edit nbsp Etchmiadzin on a 2009 stamp of Armenia The locus of Etchmiadzin is a sanctified soil similar to Temple Mount and the Golden Temple for Jews and Sikhs respectively 191 In his first encyclical 1893 as Catholicos Mkrtich Khrimian called the cathedral the Zion of Ararat 192 193 In 1991 Catholicos Vazgen I described the cathedral as our Solomon s Temple 194 The cathedral complex has been called Armenian Vatican as it is a major pilgrimage site for Armenians worldwide 195 196 Since the cathedral has been so important to the development of Armenians sense of identity a pilgrimage to Etchmiadzin is as much as ethnic as a religious experience 197 Theodore Edward Dowling wrote in 1910 that Etchmiadzin and Mount Ararat are the two great objects of Armenian veneration 198 For many centuries Etchmiadzin was the national and political center of the stateless Armenian people with one journalist describing it as the focal point of Armenians everywhere 199 Before the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia and the official designation of Yerevan as its capital in 1918 Western sources emphasized Etchmiadzin s political significance A 1920 book prepared by the Historical Section of the British Foreign Office acknowledged that Etchmiadzin was regarded as the national capital of the Armenians 200 Oldest cathedral edit nbsp An aerial view of the cathedral and the Mother See complex surrounding it Etchmiadzin is considered by a number of scholars as Armenia s first cathedral 205 It has sometimes been described as Armenia s first church building 206 44 but this claim has found little support among scholars Robert W Thomson 207 Stepan Mnatsakanian 208 Vrej Nersessian 209 and Grigoryan 210 have all rejected it and posit that Armenia s first church was in Ashtishat in the Taron region A 2020 book on the cathedral authorized by the Armenian Church insisted that Etchmiadzin is the first church of Christian Armenia although earlier Christian places of worship such as chapels or shrines existed prior 211 Robert W Thomson argues that although Etchmiadzin was not the original center of the Armenian Church which was and remained in Ashtishat until after the division of the country in 387 it had clearly been a holy shrine from the earliest Christian time in Armenia 212 A number of sources also hold that Etchmiadzin is the oldest cathedral in the world 219 According to Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East it is generally regarded as the oldest cathedral in the world 220 while historian Steven Gertz wrote in Christianity Today that Etchmiadzin is regarded as such according to some scholars 221 A 1982 Soviet guidebook called it the first Christian church to be built on the territory of the Soviet Union 222 while Soviet travel writer Georgi Kublitsky wrote in 1984 that the cathedral is believed by some to be the oldest extant building on Soviet territory 223 Notable visitors edit nbsp A view of Mount Ararat from the Three Churches from the Joseph Pitton de Tournefort s A voyage into the Levant 1718 The cathedral is depicted on the middle right side Early European visitors to Etchmiadzin who gave descriptions of the cathedral included Jean Baptiste Tavernier before 1668 224 Jean Chardin 1673 225 Joseph Pitton de Tournefort c 1700 226 James Morier 1810 16 139 Robert Ker Porter 1817 20 141 Friedrich Parrot 1829 227 Eli Smith and H G O Dwight 1829 21 August von Haxthausen 1843 228 Moritz Wagner 1843 229 Douglas Freshfield 1869 23 John Buchan Telfer 1870s 230 James Bryce 1876 231 H F B Lynch 1893 232 Many prominent individuals have visited Etchmiadzin including Russian diplomat and playwright Alexander Griboedov 1828 233 Russian mystic Helena Blavatsky 1849 234 Russian poets Valery Bryusov 235 and Andrei Bely 1929 236 Fridtjof Nansen 1925 237 Glenn T Seaborg 1971 238 Armenian American writer William Saroyan 1976 239 English composer Benjamin Britten 240 Russian singer songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky 241 Russian American poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky 242 Andrei Sakharov 243 Cher 244 Alain Delon 245 Kim Kardashian 246 and many others Religious leaders like Patriarch Cyril of Bulgaria 1967 247 Archbishops of Canterbury Donald Coggan 1977 248 and George Carey 1993 249 Patriarch Ilia II of Georgia 1997 2003 250 251 Pope John Paul II 2001 252 Bartholomew I of Constantinople 2001 253 Ignatius Zakka I Iwas 2002 254 255 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow 2010 256 Pope Francis 2016 have visited Etchmiadzin Francis gave a prayer at the cathedral on 24 June 2016 where he called the cathedral a witness to the history of your people and the centre from which its spirituality radiates 257 Leaders of several countries such as Russia Vladimir Putin in 2005 258 France Jacques Chirac in 2006 259 and Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011 260 261 Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili in 2004 262 Giorgi Margvelashvili in 2014 263 Romania Emil Constantinescu in 1998 264 Lebanon Michel Aoun 2018 265 Germany Angela Merkel 2018 266 267 and royalty such as Nicholas I of Russia 1837 268 King Mahendra of Nepal 1958 269 Prince Charles 2013 270 have visited the cathedral as part of their state or private visits to Armenia Cultural depictions edit nbsp Etchmiadzin on a 50 000 Armenian dram banknote nbsp A fresco inside St George s Church Tbilisi Georgia The coat of arms of Russian administered Erivan Yerevan approved in 1843 featured the cathedral 271 272 The Etchmiadzin monthly the official periodical of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin founded in 1944 features the cathedral on its cover page as the logo 273 The Soviet Union and Armenia issued postage stamps depicting the cathedral in 1978 and 2009 respectively The cathedral is depicted on the obverse side of the 50 000 dram banknote 2001 of Armenia 274 The cathedral has been depicted in painting by Grigory Gagarin 1847 275 Panos Terlemezian 1903 and in books by John Mason Neale 1850 130 August von Haxthausen 1854 John Ussher 1865 and others The floor mosaic created by the 20th century Israeli artist Hava Yofe inside the Chapel of Saint Helena at Jerusalem s Church of the Holy Sepulchre depicts the cathedral along with other major Armenian sites 276 A relief of the cathedral was erected on the headquarters of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America next to the St Vartan Cathedral in New York and silver plate depicting the cathedral is displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York 277 In the 1991 film Mayrig directed by French Armenian director Henri Verneuil footage of the cathedral is shown when Azad Zakarian the main character and a son of Armenian genocide survivors is being questioned about his faith in a Catholic school 278 References editNotes Less commonly referred to as the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin 7 8 Holy Etchmiadzin Armenian Սուրբ Էջմիածին romanized Surb Ejmiatsin or simply Etchmiadzin Alternatively spelled as Echmiadzin Ejmiatsin 9 and Edjmiadsin 10 The city has been called Vagharshapat for the most of its history It was officially called Etchmiadzin or Ejmiatsin between 1945 and 1995 Nowadays both names are used interchangeably 11 301 AD is the traditional date 27 first calculated by historian Mikayel Chamchian 28 A growing number of authors argue that the correct date is 314 by citing the Edict of Milan 29 30 Elizabeth Redgate writes that the scholarly consensus is to prefer c 314 31 32 It was likely dedicated to Ḫaldi or Teiseba 35 The temple is believed to have been dedicated to either goddess Anahit 37 38 39 or archangel Sandaramet 4 40 41 major figures in Zoroastrian influenced Armenian mythology Վաղարշապատի Կաթողիկե եկեղեցի Vagarsapati Kat ogike yekeghetsi 46 47 or simply Kat oghike Կաթողիկե literally Cathedral 34 Malachia Ormanian defined katoghike as cathedral and wrote that the word was used particularly for Etchmiadzin Cathedral In modern Armenian katoghike is also used to refer to the Catholic Church It is derived from the Ancient Greek word ka8olikos katholikos which means universal The cathedral has been so called as a description of the universality of the Church 48 The remains of the 4th century apse the fire temple and other architectural details are now kept at a special structure built relatively recently under the east apse 5 In 483 484 the basic core of the current structure was created 2 483 484 Reconstructed by Vahan Mamikonyan Etchmiadzin develops the design we see today 61 Ողբ ի դիմաց Կաթողիկէին Vogb i dimats Katogikein The complete title is Allegorical prosopopoeia on the Holy Cathedral at Vagharshapat 67 Բան բարառնական ոդեալ դիմառնաբար ի դիմաց Վաղարշապատու ս Կաթուղիկէին Ban bararnakan vodeal dimarnabar i dimats Vagharshapatu s Katogikein It was first printed in Nor Nakhichevan in 1790 68 Ivan Aivazovsky subsequently offered his version based on Ivanov s original 84 In the 19th century Armenian architecture was usually seen as a provincial extension of Byzantine architecture 124 and Byzantine influence was somewhat exaggerated by 19th century archeologists 125 Its architectural style has been described as Byzantine by Murray s Handbook for Travellers 126 Sven Hedin 127 Gunter Bandmann 128 and Armeno Byzantine by Alfred Dwight Foster Hamlin 129 John Mason Neale suggested that its original ground plan is that of an ordinary Byzantine church 130 August von Haxthausen quoted Nerses V as describing the cupola as Byzantine probably built by architects from Constantinople a thousand years ago 131 Bandinelli lists the cathedrals of Dvin and Echmiadzin the churches of Kasakh and possibly Diraklar Starting as early as 1837 by Marie Felicite Brosset 157 158 at Germigny des Pres on the Loire near Orleans is an exact reproduction of the Armenian apse buttressed square with free central pillars dating from the ninth century The latter type occurs also at Milan San Satiro In both cases the plan closely resembles that of Bagaran in Armenia 186 Citations a b c d e Sahinian Zarian amp Ghazarian 1978 p 71 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Hewsen Robert H 2001 The Monastery of Ejmiatsin Armenia A Historical Atlas Chicago University of Chicago Press p 259 ISBN 0 226 33228 4 Hasratyan 2003 p 271 a b c d e Melik Bakhshyan Stepan in Armenian 2009 Հայոց պաշտամունքային վայրեր Armenian places of worship PDF in Armenian Yerevan State University Publishing pp 145 146 ISBN 978 5 8084 1068 8 Archived from the original PDF on 23 November 2018 a b c Arakelian et al 1984 p 572 a b Khachatryan 2020 pp 85 86 Azadian Edmond Y 1999 History on the 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դեկտեմբեր 1921 թ փետրվար Expropriation of church in Soviet Armenia December 1920 February 1921 Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri in Armenian 1 Armenian Academy of Sciences 95 102 ISSN 0320 8117 Archived from the original on 12 July 2020 Retrieved 15 July 2014 Harutyunyan 1984 p 56 Burchard Christopher in German 1993 Armenia and the Bible papers presented to the international symposium held at Heidelberg July 16 19 1990 Atlanta Scholars Press ISBN 978 1 55540 597 7 Corley 1996 p 9 Corley Felix 2010 The Armenian Apostolic Church In Leustean Lucian N ed Eastern Christianity and the Cold War 1945 91 Abingdon Oxon Routledge p 190 ISBN 978 1 135 23382 2 According to Charles J Kersten R WI the chairman of the Select Committee on Communist Aggression Investigation of Communist takeover and occupation of the non Russian nations of the U S S R Washington D C United States Government Printing Office 1954 p 312 Central Diocesan Board 1958 Crisis in the Armenian church text of a memorandum to the 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7007 1452 0 Thierry amp Donabedian 1989 p 36 Thierry amp Donabedian 1989 p 352 Route 40 Erivan Handbook for Travellers in Russia Poland and Finland Including the Crimea Caucasus Siberia and Central Asia 3rd ed London John Murray 1875 p 406 The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin is built chiefly in the Byzantine style Hedin Sven 1910 Overland to India Volume 1 London Macmillan and Co p 88 erected on a cruciform plan under a cupola in Byzantine style Bandmann Gunter in German 2005 Early Medieval Architecture as Bearer of Meaning Columbia University Press p 196 ISBN 9780231501729 the cruciform cupola churches in the Middle Byzantine style of Etchmiadzin and Bagaran in Armenia Hamlin Alfred Dwight Foster 1896 A Text Book of the History of Architecture New York Longmans Green and Co p 134 In Armenia as at Ani Etchmiadzin etc are also interesting examples of late Armeno Byzantine architecture a b Neale John Mason 1850 A History of the Holy Eastern Church Part I London Joseph Masters pp 290 291 von 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33 04 7 Balakian Grigoris 1911 Ս Էջմիածնի բարեկարգութեան պէտքը Holy Ejmiatsin in Need of Renovation in Armenian Constantinople Shant Bastamiants Vahan 1877 Նկարագրութիւն Մայր եկեղեցիոյն հայոց Ս Էջմիածնի Description of Mother Church of Holy Ejmiatsin in Armenian and Russian Vagharshapat a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Harutyunyan Varazdat 1978 Էջմիածին Ejmiatsin in Armenian Yerevan Sovetakan Grogh OCLC 19983186 Harutyunyan Varazdat Societe pour la protection des monuments historiques et culturels de la RSS d Armenie 1985 Etchmiadsin in French Yerevan Hayastan OCLC 78980119 Harutyunyan Varazdat 1988 Եկայք շինեսցուք Պատմութիւն Ս Էջմիածնի Մայր Աթոռի շինարարական գործունէութեան Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս Վազգէն Առաջինի գահակալութեան շրջանում 1955 1988 History of construction activities at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin during the reign of Vazgen I 1955 1988 in Armenian Los Angeles Erebuni Kazarian Armen 2007 Kafedralnyj sobor Surb Echmiadzin i vostochnohristianskoe zodchestvo IV VII vekov Cathedral of Holy Ejmiacin and the Eastern Christian architecture of the 4th 7th centuries in Russian Moscow Locus Standi ISBN 978 5 94428 041 1 Miller Julie A 1996 Echmiadzin Armenia In Ring Trudy Salkin Robert M La Boda Sharon eds International Dictionary of Historic Places Middle East and Africa Vol 4 Chicago Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers pp 250 253 ISBN 978 1 884964 03 9 Archived from the original on 22 March 2021 Retrieved 10 December 2020 Parsamian Vardan 1931 Էջմիածինն անցյալում Պատմական ուսումնասիրության փորձ Etchmiadzin in the past An attempt of historical research in Armenian Pethrat Yerevan Sahinian Alexander 1978 Ս Էջմիածին Sv Echmiadzin St Etchmiadzine in Armenian Russian and French Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin OCLC 47168540 Shahkhatunian Hovhannes in Armenian 1842 Ստորագրութիւն Կաթուղիկէ Էջմիածնի եւ հինգ գաւառացն Արարատայ Description of the Cathedral of Ejmiacin and of the Five Districts of Ararat 2 vols in Armenian Holy Ejmiacin Toramanian Toros 1910 Էջմիածնի տաճարը Ճարտարապետական եւ հնագիտական հետազօտութիւններ Etchmiadzin Cathedral Architectural and Archaeological Studies in Armenian Tiflis Aganiants Publishing Նկարագրութիւն Սուրբ Էջմիածնի Մայր տաճարի Description of the Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenian Vagharshapat Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral Publishing 1890 OCLC 861620582 Ս Էջմիածին 303 1903 Պատկերազարդ նկարագրութիւն Holy Etchmiadzin 303 1903 Illustrated description in Armenian San Lazzaro degli Armeni Venice Mechitarist Order 1903 OCLC 35048877 Սուրբ Էջմիածին 1600 րդ տարեդարձ 303 1903 Holy Etchmiadzin 1600th anniversary 303 1903 in Armenian Saint Petersburg Pushkinean Aragatip 1903 OCLC 46338801 Khachatryan Tovma 2020 Սուրբ Էջմիածին քրիստոնեական առաջին գմբեթավոր տաճարը Holy Etchmiadzin The First Christian Domed Church in Armenian Ejmiatsin Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Press ISBN 9789939592497 General Adalian Rouben Paul 2010 Historical Dictionary of Armenia Lanham Maryland Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 7450 3 Arakelian Babken N Yeremian Suren T Arevshatian Sen S Bartikian Hrach M Danielian Eduard L Ter Ghevondian Aram N eds 1984 Հայ ժողովրդի պատմություն հատոր II Հայաստանը վաղ ֆեոդալիզմի ժամանակաշրջանում History of the Armenian People Volume II Armenia in the Early Age of Feudalism PDF in Armenian Yerevan Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences Publishing Archived PDF from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 5 July 2014 Atkin Muriel 1980 Russia and Iran 1780 1828 University of Minnesota Press ISBN 978 0 8166 0924 6 Behrooz Maziar 2013 From confidence to apprehension early Iranian interaction with Russia In Cronin Stephanie ed Iranian Russian Encounters Empires and Revolutions Since 1800 Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 62433 6 Bournoutian George A 1992 The Khanate of Erevan Under Qajar Rule 1795 1828 Mazda Publishers ISBN 978 0 939214 18 1 Bryce James 1878 Transcaucasia and Ararat Being Notes of a Vacation Tour in Autumn of 1876 3rd ed London Macmillan and Co Buxton David Roden 1975 Russian Mediaeval Architecture with an Account of the Transcaucasian Styles and Their Influence in the West New York Hacker Art Books ISBN 978 0 87817 005 0 Reprint of the 1934 ed published by the Cambridge University Press Buxton Noel Buxton Harold 1914 Travel and Politics in Armenia London Macmillan Der Nersessian Sirarpie 1945 Armenia and the Byzantine Empire Cambridge Massachusetts Harvard University Press Hacikyan Agop Jack Basmajian Gabriel Franchuk Edward S Ouzounian Nourhan 2005 The Heritage of Armenian Literature From the eighteenth century to modern times Vol 3 Detroit Wayne State University Press ISBN 978 0 8143 3221 4 Payaslian Simon 2007 The History of Armenia New York Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 978 1 4039 7467 9 Panossian Razmik 2006 The Armenians From Kings and Priests to Merchants and Commissars New York Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 231 51133 9 Thierry Jean Michel Donabedian Patrick 1989 1987 Armenian Art Translated by Celestine Dars New York Harry N Abrams ISBN 0 8109 0625 2 Dowling Theodore Edward 1910 The Armenian Church London Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Telfer J Buchan 1876 The Crimea and Transcaucasia being the narrative of a journey in the Kouban in Gouria Georgia Armenia Ossety Imeritia Swannety and Mingrelia and in the Tauric Range Volume I London Henry S King amp Co Thomson Robert W 1994 Agathangelos In Greppin John A C ed Studies in Classical Armenian Literature Delmar New York Caravan Books pp 15 26 Lynch H F B 1901 Armenia Travels and Studies Volume I The Russian Provinces London Longmans Green and Co Harutyunyan Varazdat 1992 Հայկական ճարտարապետության պատմություն History of Armenian Architecture PDF in Armenian Yerevan Luys ISBN 5 545 00215 4 Archived from the original on 7 January 2023 Retrieved 30 January 2023 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link von Haxthausen August 1854 Transcaucasia Sketches of the Nations and Races Between the Black Sea and the Caspian London Chapman and Hall Villari Luigi 1906 Fire and Sword in the Caucasus London T F Unwin Portals nbsp Architecture nbsp ChristianityEtchmiadzin Cathedral at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Media from Commons nbsp Texts from Wikisource nbsp Travel guides from Wikivoyage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Etchmiadzin Cathedral amp oldid 1224108707, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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