Etchmiadzin Monastery, Vagharshapat, Armenia

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Every nation has its own spiritual shrines, something that unites the nation. For Armenians, the monastery of Vagharshapat is of great importance. In this article, we will reveal its difficult history. Many monasteries in Armenia can boast of a respectable age. But the cathedral of this monastery is considered the oldest sacred Christian building in the country. In addition, several priceless shrines are stored in the monastery at once. Firstly, this is a piece of the ark that Noah built to save some specimens of the fauna from the Flood. Secondly, in the monastery of Vagharshapat, a spear is kept, with which a Roman legionnaire pierced the chest of the crucified Jesus Christ. And finally, the third relic is the right hand of St. Gregory the Illuminator. This monastic monastery is the throne of the patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Therefore, not only tourists rush to the monastery, but also believers of this Christian denomination. The buildings of the shrine are listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Etchmiadzin Monastery on the map

Where is the throne of the Catholicos - the Supreme Armenian Patriarch? The monastic cloister, which is often called the holy city,located on the Ararat plain, in the Armavir region. From the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, getting to Etchmiadzin is not a problem. After all, this place is sacred for the inhabitants of the country. As for the Roman Catholics, the Cathedral of St. Peter in the Vatican is of paramount importance, so for the Armenians, the main role in the Christian self-consciousness is played by the Etchmiadzin monastery. But getting to the monastery by train is inconvenient: it is located fifteen kilometers from the railway station. Bus service would be the best option. The city of Vagharshapat (Armenia), in the middle of which the monastery is located, lies only twenty-five kilometers from Yerevan. And all minibuses, as a rule, follow to this monastery. The monastery occupies a huge territory, so it is simply impossible not to notice it or pass by.

Name confusion

You can often hear that Vagharshapat is called the Etchmiadzin Monastery. It seems that the holy monastery got its second name after the city in the center of which it is located. But it's not. The real name of the monastery is Echmiadzin. Translated from Armenian, it means “the descent of the Only Begotten” (that is, Jesus Christ). The fact is that the monastery was founded by Gregory Lusavorich, the first Catholicos of Armenians. In a dream, he saw how the son of God struck the ground with a golden hammer, thereby indicating the place where the first stone was laid for the construction of the monastery. But even earlier, in the sixth century BC, the pagan prince Vardges built a large settlement here. In the second century after the birth of Christ, it turned into a city. During the reign of Vagharshak the First (118-140 years) it was the capital of Armenia. The city bore the name of the king - Vagharshapat. In the Soviet era, the name was changed, but returned in 1992. The name of the nearby city has been preserved behind the monastery. That is why the Etchmiadzin Monastery is called “Vagharshapat”. Although the ancient city was located a little further away, on the left bank of the Kassakh.

History of Etchmiadzin Monastery

According to legend, the first cathedral in Vagharshapat (and throughout Armenia) was founded in 303, when Christianity became the state religion in the region. It was built by Tsar Trdat III. There is a very beautiful legend about this, which, however, does not have any historical confirmation. Thirty-eight beautiful virgins fled from Rome to Armenia from the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. And among them was Hripsime, who was more beautiful than the others. Trdat wanted to make her his wife. But Hripsime made vows to devote herself to God. And then the king, having fallen into passion, ordered to kill all 38 girls. Only Saint Gregory the Illuminator managed to heal Trdat from madness. The king converted to Christianity, made his spiritual healer the first Catholicos, and built the Etchmiadzin Monastery and Cathedral not far from the palace. However, this is not at all the building that we see today. The original temple was wooden. It became stone only in the fifth century.

Location layout

The main core was and remains the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. It took on its current form in 618, under Catholicos Nerses III the Builder,when the original basilica was replaced by a cross-domed church. The Etchmiadzin Monastery also includes a refectory, the Shokagat Church and the gates of King Trdat (17th century), the old (18th century) and new (XX century) chambers of the Catholicos, the Theological Academy (beginning of the XX century), the hospice house "Kazarapat" (18th century). There is another ancient building on the territory of the monastery. These are Hripsime and Gayane churches. They were built in the seventh century and rebuilt in 1652. The cathedral acquired a bell tower in the middle of the seventeenth century, and a vestry in 1870.

Cultural value of the monastery

The frescoes painted by Ovnatan Nagash and his grandson Nathan at the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have been preserved in the cathedral. In one of the naves of the temple there is a museum of medieval arts and crafts (created in 1955). Unfortunately, the monastery has repeatedly suffered from invasions. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Etchmiadzin Monastery (Armenia) became the site of a battle during the Russo-Persian War. Because of this, the city of Vagharshapat was literally wiped off the face of the earth. The first photographs still recorded the monastery, rising alone in the middle of the desert. The interior decoration of churches is not as rich as we are used to seeing in Orthodox churches. After all, the Armenian Church absorbed a lot of Catholic rituals. The walls are decorated with paintings, not icons, and organ music accompanies the liturgy.

The sacred value of the monastery

Etchmiadzin Monastery is the throne of the Catholicos. The high priests lived in the monastery from the moment of its foundation until484 and after 1441. The presence of the Catholicos of all Armenians gives this place a special halo. But Surb Etchmiadzin is also a repository of priceless relics. Here you can see the relics of John the Baptist, Stephen the First Martyr, the apostles Andrew the First-Called, Bartholomew, Thomas and Thaddeus. Particles of Noah's ark, the spear of Geghard, the Holy Cross of Christ and his crown of thorns are surrounded by special reverence. On religious holidays, pilgrims even from abroad flock to the Etchmiadzin Monastery.

What should a tourist see?

A must visit museum. It contains gifts that were presented to Catholicos in different years: robes, gold and silver vessels, crosses and other church utensils. If you have strong nerves, take a look at the Church of St. Gayane. This temple has a special slaughterhouse where the butcher slaughters animals - rams, bulls or roosters, which are sacrificed. This ceremony, which is called matah, is performed at the baptism of a child (a cross is drawn on his forehead with blood). Many Christians call it a relic of ancient paganism. But Armenians perform matah for the he alth or for the repose of the soul of the deceased. And for this they go to the Etchmiadzin Monastery. Armenia can boast of another shrine, very close to the famous monastery. This is Zvartnots, or Temple of Vigilant Forces, built in the seventh century. In the 10th century, it collapsed due to an error in the calculations of the architects.