St. Gayane church

The church of St. Gayane, located in the town of Vagarshapat, is part of the Etchmiadzin Monastery. It was built in 630-641 by the Catholicos Ezra precisely at the place where the Armenian pagan king Trdat III ordered to torment and kill the abbess of the Christian devotees – Gayane, who fled Rome from the emperor Diocletian. The temple belongs to the unique Armenian churches of the VII century, built on the type of domed basilicas. This is one of the earliest examples of Armenian architecture – the central-domed three-nave basilica, which at that time was very popular in Armenia. Thanks to the central dome, located on four columns, the church has a cross-shaped shape. In 1652, the temple was overhauled, during which the ceiling was changed and the dome replaced. In 1683, a gallery was attached to the western facade of the church. Since that, time in the arched portico there is a necropolis where the higher Armenian clergy are buried. The cupolas of the gallery ar crowned with six graceful columns of belfries. The exterior of the church is decorated with a rich ornamental carving. At the entrance from the west side of the church, you can see the magnificent wall painting of the 17th century, preserved until our days, dedicated to the birth of Christ. Near the altar apse rest relics of the most holy Gayane.

Since 2000, UNESCO lists the Church of St. Gayane as a World Cultural Heritage. For the local population, the church is a shrine that represents martyrdom for its Christian faith.