Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Church

Armenian Apostolic Church

The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...

 and the Pontifical Residence of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin found in the city of Vagharshapat, Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

 is a blend of the past, present and future of the worldwide Armenian Church and contains the main church, monuments, museums and the pontifical residence. It was built in the days of Gregory the Illuminator

Gregory the Illuminator

Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church...

 and King Tiridates III

Tiridates III of Armenia

Tiridates III or Diritades III was the king of Arsacid Armenia , and is also known as Tiridates the Great ; some scholars incorrectly refer to him as Tiridates IV as a result of the fact that Tiridates I of Armenia reigned twice)...

 in the place where, according to Armenian Church traditions, the Descent of Christ happened in Vagharshapat, Armenia, also known as Etchmiadzin. The wooden church was rebuilt in stone in the V and VII centuries. The bell tower was built in 1653 and the vestry in 1869.

The complex includes the Etchmiadzin Cathedral , the vestry, residences, museums, Gevorkian Theological Seminary

Gevorkian Theological Seminary

Gevorkian Theological Seminary is a theological school-college of the Armenian Apostolic Church founded by Catholicos Gevork IV in 1874. It is located in the city of Vagharshapat within the complex of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, Republic of Armenia.-History:During the tenure of Catholicos...

 and many other amenities.

Structures of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin complex

• Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin: It was built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator
  Gregory the Illuminator
  Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener is the patron saint and first official head of the Armenian Apostolic Church...
  
   in 301-303. The Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the oldest church built by the state in the world. According to the 5th-century Armenian annals, St. Gregory had a vision of Christ descending from heaven and striking the earth with a golden hammer to show where the cathedral should be built. Hence, the patriarch gave the church and the city the new name of Echmiadzin, which may be translated as "the place where the Only Begotten descended". In 480, Vahan Mamikonian, the Sassanian governor (marzban) of Armenia
  Armenia
  Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
  
  , ordered the dilapidated basilica to be replaced with a new cruciform church. In 618, the wooden dome was replaced with a stone one, resting on four massive pillars linked to exterior walls by arcades. This was the church much as it is today. Murals in the interior and extravagant rotundas surmounting the apses appeared in the early 18th century. Between 1654-1658, the main three-tier belfry at the entrance of the Cathedral was erected.
• Baptistery: a chapel named after Saints Vartan and Hovhannes consecrated on 26 September 2008
• Open Air Altar: built in 2001 beside the Main Gate with a contemporary design.

Gates and towers

• Main Gate: constructed in 2001 to form the main entrance to the Mother See.
• Gate of King Trdat
  Tiridates III of Armenia
  Tiridates III or Diritades III was the king of Arsacid Armenia , and is also known as Tiridates the Great ; some scholars incorrectly refer to him as Tiridates IV as a result of the fact that Tiridates I of Armenia reigned twice)...
  
   (Durn Trdata): restored in 1964 on the basis of the well-preserved remains of the old medival gate. The arch leads to the Pontificial Residence.
• Clock Tower: located at the north-western gate of the complex, built 1959.
• Vaskenian Gate (Vazgenian Darbas): erected in March 1961 at the eastern wall of the complex. In 2002, the gate was moved to the northern entrance.

Residences

• Pontificial Residence (Veharan): the construction of the building started on 6 June 1910 and completed in 1915. It consists of the administrative offices of the Catholicos, the pontifical residence quarters, meeting rooms and a treasury-museum. After World War I
  World War I
  World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
  
   it was used by the Soviets as a military headquarter until 1956, when it was returned to the Mother See through the efforts of Catholicos Vazgen I
  Vazgen I
  His Holiness Vazgen I was the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1955 and 1994, in one of the longest reigns of the Armenian Catholicoi. A native of Romania, he began his career as a philosopher, before becoming a Doctor of Theology and a member of the local Armenian clergy...
  
  .
• Chancellery (Divanatun): started in 2005 and completed in 2008, located next to the Pontificial Residence. The three-storied building serves as the working office of the Catholicos.
• Monastic Residence Building (Yeremian cells): constructed in 1889 through the efforts of bishop Yeremia Galustian. The building seves as residence of the clerical members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin.
• New Monastic Residence Building: consecrated on 31 August 2002, an L-shaped structure connected to the old Monastic Residence.
• Seminary Dormitories: adjacent to Gevorkian School, opened in 1997.
• Deacons' Residence Quarter: built in mid 18th century and located to the south of the Cathedral.
• Guest House (Vanatoon): three-storied building opened in 1978 designated to serve the visiting clergymen and guests of the Mother See.

Schools and museums

• Gevorkian Seminary Building
  Gevorkian Theological Seminary
  Gevorkian Theological Seminary is a theological school-college of the Armenian Apostolic Church founded by Catholicos Gevork IV in 1874. It is located in the city of Vagharshapat within the complex of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, Republic of Armenia.-History:During the tenure of Catholicos...
  
  : built in 1874 by Catholicos Gevork IV.
• Old Pontificial Residence (Hin Veharan): built in 1738-1741 and served as residence until 1962. Since 1968 the building serves as Catholicosal Museum.
• Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury House: opened on 11 October 1982, designed by architect Baghdasar Arzoumanian
  Baghdasar Arzoumanian
  Baghdasar Arzoumanian was an Armenian architect and designer based in Yerevan, Armenia...
  
  . The museum is home to treasures of the Armenian Church throughout the history.
• Khrimian Museum.
• Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Manuscript Depository: located near the main entrance of the complex, currently under construction.

Other buildings

• Old Seminary Building: located north of the Monastic Residence, opened in 1911. It was designated to house the old Armenian manuscripts. During the Soviet period, the building has served as the main building of Gevorkian Seminary (1945–1997). Nowadays, it is used for administrative purposes of the information and the international relations departments.
• Administrative Building.
• Printing House: two-storied building located to the east of the Cathedral, erected in 1889.
• Bookstore: between 1959-1962 the printing house building was fully reconstructed to serve as a library as well.

Many khachkar

Khachkar

A khachkar or khatchkar is a carved, cross-bearing, memorial stele covered with rosettes and other botanical motifs. Khachkars are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art found in Armenia.-Description:...

s are erected in Etchmiadzin complex, among them the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

 memorial khackhar of 1965.

See also

• Etchmiadzin Cathedral
• List of Catholicoi of Armenia
• Holy See of Cilicia
• Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople
  Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople
  The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople , one of the smallest Patriarchates of the Oriental Orthodox Church but one that has exerted a very significant political role and today still exercises a spiritual authority....
  
  
• Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
  Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem
  The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of St. James is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem remains under the authority of the Catholicos of Armenia and of all Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic Church...