[85][86] A few days after the attempt, the Russians returned to Etchmiadzin, where they caught a different Persian force by surprise and routed them. Legend has it that a church dedicated to him was first built on the present site in AD 68. Persia's Erivan Khanate, in which Etchmiadzin was located, became an important target for the Russians. 640–661). It asserts apostolic foundation, and its historical roots must be traced to the early and late Christianization of Iberia and Colchis by Saint Andrew in the 1st century AD and by Saint Nino in the 4th century AD, respectively. Էջմիածնի [Feast of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin]", "Հայրապետական աթոռի' Վաղարշապատից Դվին տեղափոխման հարցի շուրջ [About Transfer of the Patriarchal Throne to Dvin from Vagharshapat]", "Autour de l'Eglise Saint-Georges d'Esfahan", School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, "Արևելյան Հայաստանի միացումը Ռուսաստանին [Eastern Armenia Joining Russia]", "Եկեղեցու սեփականության բռնագրավումը Խորհրդային Հայաստանում (1920 թ. դեկտեմբեր – 1921 թ. փետրվար) [Expropriation of church in Soviet Armenia (December 1920 – February 1921)]", "Celebrating 1,700th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin", "His Holiness Karekin II Declares 2003 as the Year of Holy Etchmiadzin", "Գիտաժողով՝ նվիրված Սուրբ Էջմիածնի Մայր Տաճարի օծման 1700-ամյակին [Academic conference on the 1700th anniversary of the consecration of Etchmiadzin Cathedral]", "GAYRUSSIA - Равные права без компромиссов", "Խորհրդակցություն Մայր տաճարի վերականգնման հարցերի շուրջ [Consultation on the Mother Cathedral's restoration issue]", "Путешествие по весенней Армении: день первый [Journey through spring in Armenia: day first]", "Armenia: mountains, monasteries and a glimpse of the land of Noah", "Despite Ages of Captivity, The Armenians Persevere", "Շուշիի Ղազանչեցոց Ս. Ամենափրկիչ եկեղեցի [Ghazanchetsots Church of Shushi]", "Բուխարեստի հայկական եկեղեցի [Armenian Church of Bucharest]", "Vazgen I, Head of Armenian Church, Dies at 85", "Ամենայն Հայոց Վեհափառ Հայրապետի կոնդակը Հայաստանի ազատ ու ինքնիշխան պետության հռչակման առթիվ", Александр Грибоедов. [205], The Etchmiadzin monthly, the official periodical of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin founded in 1944, features the cathedral on its cover page as newspaper logo. The Cathedral of Talin or Talin’s Katoghike church is a … [2] In 1874, he established the Gevorgian Seminary, a theological school-college located on the cathedral's premises. The Armenian Apostolic Church . The foundations of the current building, however, were built at the end of the 5th century, after the initial building suffered major damage after a Persian invasion. World Oldest Church, St. Thaddeus Armenian Church – VIDEO February 14, 2014 945 0 Qara Kelisa, also known as the St. Thaddeus Church, is one of the oldest and most notable surviving Christian monuments of Iran that carries great significance for the country’s Armenian Orthodox community. "[2] James Bryce wrote that the cathedral is "small, that is to say, compared with its fame or importance". ). [K] 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." [2][102] It was reportedly the only church in Soviet Armenia not to have been seized by the Communist government. Moderated to ensure a … [207], The Soviet Union and Armenia issued postage stamps depicting the cathedral in 1978 and 2009, respectively. People say that it goes back to the 914-918 and was probably built during the years of Ashot Shapuhyan. Its cruciform plan and the intricate decorative designs of its façade, among which inscriptions in Greek (prior to the invention of the Armenian alphabet) justify the seat of honor that this cathedral holds not only in the hearts of the Armenian faithful, but in the history of Christianity. It was built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator between 301 and 303 AD in what is now known as Armenian style, known for its emphasis on height, pointed domes, and stone materials. [125][204], The theological college is mentioned in The Forty Days of Musa Dagh. [89], 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. [57], The early frescoes inside the cathedral were restored in the 18th century. Reddit's most popular sub for everything related to Armenia! [60] According to Ghazar Parpetsi, it was rebuilt from the foundations by marzban (governor) of Persian Armenia Vahan Mamikonian in 483/4,[61] when the country was relatively stable,[62] following the struggle for religious freedom against Persia. As you can imagine, these numbers represent a lot of work. He writes that Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator had a vision of Jesus Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. [59], In 450, in an attempt to impose Zoroastrianism on Armenians, Sasanian King Yazdegerd II built a fire temple inside the cathedral. [151] Catholicos Vazgen I called Etchmiadzin "our Solomon's Temple. [96][97] The Armenian forces eventually repelled the Turkish offensive and set the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia. The original church was built in the early fourth century[33]—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. "[2] Formally, Etchmiadzin became the religious center of the Armenians living within the Russian Empire by the 1836 statute or constitution (polozhenie). [53], According to Faustus of Byzantium, the cathedral and the city of Vagharshapat were almost completely destroyed during the invasion of Persian King Shapur II in the 360s[57] (circa 363). In … The Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, referred to locally as the Armenian Church, is the oldest Christian church in Singapore, located at Hill Street in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area.The church was completed in 1835 and consecrated the next year. 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