city
Vagharshapat / Etchmiadzin
Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia · Armenia & Georgia
40.162, 44.291
Attested. Armenia's royal conversion in the early 4th century is attested. The traditional date of 301 comes from later Armenian tradition, and many scholars prefer c. 314. The founding vision is tradition, and the present building is mostly 5th-7th century and later.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral at Vagharshapat, then the Armenian royal city, is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Tradition says Gregory the Illuminator founded it after a vision, following King Trdat (Tiridates) III's conversion in the early 4th century. The nearby churches of the virgin martyrs Hripsime and Gayane recall the story of Armenia's conversion.
Source stance: insider. Agathangelos's History of the Armenians (insider, partly legendary), with architecture as a neutral check.
People and groups named here
- Gregory the Illuminator
- Trdat (Tiridates) III
- Hripsime
- Gayane
Sources
- Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (UNESCO World Heritage List no. 1011)
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Armenia
Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912), public domain; New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Gregory the Illuminator
Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912), public domain; New Advent. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Pleiades place 863815: Kainepolis (Vagharshapat)
Pleiades Gazetteer (ISAW, NYU). Accessed 2026-11-11.
Further reading
Councils here
None in this list.