Echmiadzin

• Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral)
• Visit the ruins of Zvartnots

Trips by car can be ordered any day, time and to any destination. The presented prices include transportation expenses.

You can’t visit the first Christian country in the world without seeing Holy Etchmiadzin the “capital” of Armenian Apostolic Church, the holy seat of the Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos and the spiritual center of all Armenians. Echmiadzin means the “Descent of the Only Begotten Son”. The city is called so as according to the legend one day Gregory the Illuminator had a vision in which he saw Jesus Christ descending from heaven with a gold hammer and hitting the ground with it. That way he indicated the spot where he wanted a church to be built. The city and the church that was built in this very spot in 303 were named Holy Echmiadzin. The Cathedral of Holy Echmiadzin was the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia and is considered to be the oldest cathedral in the world. A visit to the Cathedral will not be full without seeing the museum where different works of Armenian spiritual art, manuscripts and other artworks are kept. The main treasures of the museum though is Geghard which pierced Jesus Christ at crucifixion and the  remnant of Noah’s Ark. Apart from the Mother Cathedral you will visit Churches Gayane and Hripsime dedicated to the nuns that sacrificed themselves for Christian faith. On your way to Yerevan you will stop near the ruins of Zvartnots a colossal and unique masterpiece of Armenian architecture built at a spot where the first Armenian Catholicos Grigor Lusavorich and King Trdat met.

Take a tour to Holy Echmiadzin to get acquainted with the peculiarities of Armenian Christianity, it’s rich history and heritage and bear in mind that the Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the Churches of Saint Hripsime, Gayane and Shoghakat are among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The mentioned prices are with 10 % Sale for the guests of Picnichotels and are valid if you depart from Yerevan .

The time of the departure can be chosen by our guests.