from 5 reviews
5 hours
Daily Tour
Armenian, English, Russian
This private Etchmiadzin and Zvartnots tour from Yerevan takes you to Armenia’s most important UNESCO World Heritage churches, including Etchmiadzin Cathedral, St Hripsime and St Gayane. Etchmiadzin is the religious center of the country, and what’s important is that it is only a 40-minute drive from Yerevan, located in the city of Vagharshapat.
The tour usually lasts about 5 hours and includes the main cathedral and several important religious sites of Armenian Christianity.
1.Our first stop is the Church of Saint Hripsime, built in 618 AD by the famous Armenian architect and catholicos Komitas. The church was erected above the grave of Saint Hripsime, one of the Christian virgins who fled the Roman Emperor Diocletian and found shelter in Armenia. When the pagan Armenian king Tiridates III wanted to marry Hripsime, she refused him, which led to her martyrdom and the execution of the other virgins who came with her. Today, this magnificent church, with its unusually large dome, remains a sacred place for those who want to pray to Saint Hripsime, seen as an intermediary between the prayers and God. The church is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
2. The second stop is the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin — the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. According to tradition, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral was founded in the early 4th century by the first Armenian Catholicos, Gregory the Illuminator. The name “Echmiadzin” means “the Descent of the Only Begotten,” referring to a vision Gregory had, in which Christ descended from heaven and struck the ground with a golden hammer, showing the place where the first cathedral should be built. Today, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral stands as one of the oldest Christian cathedrals in the world and remains a sacred place of worship and pilgrimage.
3. Next, we visit the Church of Saint Gayane, built in 630 AD and named after another virgin martyr from the same group as Hripsime. Saint Gayane was renowned for her piety and leadership. Under the altar of the church, Saint Gayane is buried.
4. Our final stop is the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral. According to tradition, it was here that King Tiridates III, who later adopted Christianity, first met Gregory the Illuminator. For a long time, the relics of Gregory the Illuminator were kept here. The temple was built in the 7th century, reaching a height of 45 meters, and looked magnificent against the backdrop of Mount Ararat. Nerses the Builder, the architect of Zvartnots, dreamed of bringing the seat of the Catholicos from Van to here and even built a palace next to the cathedral. Today, only the ruins of this once-tremendous structure remain, but it is still very much worth a visit.
This Etchmiadzin day trip is one of the most meaningful experiences you can have in Armenia. Whether you join this Etchmiadzin tour from Yerevan or travel independently, exploring the spiritual heart of Armenia will leave a lasting impression. From ancient cathedrals to sacred relics, there are so many things to do in Etchmiadzin that connect history, faith, and culture in one unforgettable journey.
All private tours can be changed upon request.
Your private driver and guide meet you at your hotel in Yerevan for a half-day tour to Armenia's spiritual capital - just 20 km west of the city.
First stop at St. Hripsime — one of the most architecturally refined early Christian churches in the world, built in 618 AD by Catholicos Komitas I on the site of the tomb of the martyr Hripsime. Hripsime was one of a group of Roman Christian women who fled persecution under Emperor Diocletian and arrived in Armenia around 300 AD. When King Trdat III attempted to take Hripsime as his wife and she refused, she was executed. Her martyrdom directly contributed to the king's eventual conversion to Christianity. The church's cross-cupola design — precise, elegant and lofty — became the model for Armenian ecclesiastical architecture for centuries. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A short walk to St. Gayane Church — built in 630 AD by Catholicos Ezra I over the tomb of Abbess Gayane, who led the group of Christian women and was martyred alongside them. The church is smaller and quieter than St. Hripsime, with a triple-arched western portico added in 1683 as a burial place for Armenian clergy. Inside, 17th-century frescoes depicting the Nativity of Christ survive above the main entrance. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church — the world's oldest functioning Christian cathedral, founded by Gregory the Illuminator in 301-303 AD. The name Etchmiadzin means the place where the Only Begotten descended, referring to Gregory's vision of Christ marking the site with a golden hammer. Visit the extraordinary Treasury Museum holding the Spear of Longinus said to have pierced Christ's side, fragments believed to be from Noah's Ark, and centuries of sacred Armenian relics and ecclesiastical treasures.
Drive 5 km to the UNESCO-listed ruins of Zvartnots — the Temple of Vigil Forces — built between 641 and 661 AD by Catholicos Nerses III. At the time of construction it was one of the tallest and most technically ambitious buildings in the world, a three-storey circular rotunda on massive columns. It stood until the 10th century and lay buried for nine centuries before excavation began in 1900. The panoramic views of Mount Ararat from the ruins are unforgettable on a clear day.
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