Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin))

 monastery, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Armenian Apostolic church

Vagharsh I, from the Royal House of Arshak (Arsacids) once again rebuilt and remodeled the city of Vardkesavan, the city walls were completely rebuilt and restructured. In his honor king Vagharsh I renamed the city Vagharshapat. The vast city of Vagharshapat was considered as a second capital, after the city of Artashat, by the Arshakouni kings. The city of Vagharshapat had the Royal Palace of the Arshakouni kings, the city also had a large military contingent of the kings and nobles army which was housed in barracks of the city. After 301 A.D. and after the establishment of Christianity as a State Religion by St. Gregory the Illuminator, the city of Vagharshapat became the Holy Center of Christian Armenia and for Christians of Armenia, and as well as a safe heaven for the Christians outside of Armenia, of the vast Roman and Persian Empires, where Christianity was still persecuted to a large extent by their pagan rulers. In 303 A.D. the construction of the Mother Church of the Holy See of St. Etchmiadzin was completed. St. Gregory the Illuminator himself became the first patriarch Catholicos of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church and began the construction of the Great Mother Church and Catholicos seat of Holy Etchmiadzin which in Armenian means "the Holy Ground of Christ's descent". As tradition tells the spot where to begin the construction of mother church was pointed out by Jesus Christ were he himself came down upon from the heaven

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Pictures by Armenians.com
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