The main architectural monument in Etchmiadzin is, of course, the Cathedral of the same name - the oldest Christian temple in Armenia, one of the first in the entire Christian world. According to legend, the foundation stone of this temple was laid in 301 by Gregory the Illuminator , the first Catholicos of the Armenian Church.
The main Armenian temple, founded in the IV century, was built for more than one century.
Originally, the Etchmiadzin Cathedral was built of wood in the form of a basilica. But already in 483 it was rebuilt, it was given a cruciform shape, crowned with a dome. In the VII century, the Cathedral was rebuilt in stone. In the XVII century, a new modern dome and a three-tiered bell tower were erected over the cathedral. In the XVIII century, six-column rotundas were erected on three sides of the cathedral.
The main feature of the cathedral is that in addition to the main one, there are three more altars in it. Two of them are located in the southern and northern niches. The latter is located in the center of the cathedral and is rather a holy place, where, according to legend, Christ descended in his appearance to Gregory the Illuminator and ordered to build a temple here here.
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