Items | Group Tour | Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral), Zvartnots
Group Tour | Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral), Zvartnots
(2) Reviews
Yerevan
Important Information
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Wheelchair accessible
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Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
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Public transportation options are available nearby
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Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
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Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
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This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
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Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
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On this tour you will head out of the city to visit the archaeological site of the 7th century ruins of the UNESCO listed Zvartnots, its remaining columns set against a magnificent backdrop of the snowy peaks of Mount Ararat. We continue on to Armenia’s Holy City of Echmiadzin, the former capital, where we plan to visit the UNESCO listed Echmiadzin Cathedral.
• Visit the ruins of the 7th century temple Zvartnots • Admire the beauty of Holy City Echmiadzin • Opportunity to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites • Get acquainted with the history and religion of Armenia • See a piece of the cross on which Christ was crucified
Highlights
From 4 hours to 5 hours
Offered in Russian (Русский) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 4 hours to 5 hours
Offered in Russian (Русский) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
All Fees and Taxes
Professional guide
Bottled water
Air-conditioned vehicle
Lunch
Hotel drop off
Meeting Points
Departure
Nalbandyan Street
Traveler pickup is offered from centrally located hotels in Yerevan
Return
Group Tour | Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral), Zvartnots
(2) Reviews
Yerevan
About
On this tour you will head out of the city to visit the archaeological site of the 7th century ruins of the UNESCO listed Zvartnots, its remaining columns set against a magnificent backdrop of the snowy peaks of Mount Ararat. We continue on to Armenia’s Holy City of Echmiadzin, the former capital, where we plan to visit the UNESCO listed Echmiadzin Cathedral.
• Visit the ruins of the 7th century temple Zvartnots • Admire the beauty of Holy City Echmiadzin • Opportunity to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites • Get acquainted with the history and religion of Armenia • See a piece of the cross on which Christ was crucified
Highlights
From 4 hours to 5 hours
Offered in Russian (Русский) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 4 hours to 5 hours
Offered in Russian (Русский) & English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
All Fees and Taxes
Professional guide
Bottled water
Air-conditioned vehicle
Lunch
Hotel drop off
Meeting Points
Departure
Nalbandyan Street
Traveler pickup is offered from centrally located hotels in Yerevan
Return
Itinerary
1
Saint Hripsime Church
Hripsime church, one of the finest works of Armenian architecture of the classical period, a variant of the concentrical domed composition, stands on a slight elevation, at the eastern edge of Echmiadzin City. This kind of composition is characteristic only of the Christian countries of the Transcaucasus. Its expressive silhouette, seen from afar, stands up sharply against the background of an emerald-green valley dominated by the snow-capped Mt. Ararat.
30 minutes
2
Saint Gayane Church
The Church of Saint Gayane is a 7th-century Armenian church in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), the religious center of Armenia. It is located within walking distance from the Etchmiadzin Cathedral of 301. St. Gayane was built by Catholicos Ezra I in the year 630. Its design has remained unchanged despite partial renovations of the dome and some ceilings in 1652.
Gayane was the name of an abbess who was martyred with other nuns by Tiridates III of Armenia in the year 301, and subsequently made a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
In 2000, Saint Gayane Church was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with historical churches of Vagharshapat.
30 minutes
3
Echmiadzin Monastery
“We shall come and erect here A well of purest light!”
These are the lines to begin both the quatrain of one of the Armenian Catholicos Sahak Dzoroporetsi (677-703) and our tour to this unique complex, consisting of several churches of the residence of the Catholicos and the ruins of the Zvartnots temple. Echmiatsin is a small spiritual capital filled with silence and history. The first stone was laid in 303 and since then the cathedral has undergone significant changes, redevelopments and restorations, yet remained the main sacred place for all the Armenians and an important point of visit for Christians. Relics such as the right hand of Saint John the Baptist, the Holy Lance and the three particles of the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified are kept here. The name translates literally as “The Descent of the Only Begotten”. According to legend, the first patriarch Grigor the Illuminator had a dream of Christ descending from heaven with a fiery hammer in his hand and indicating the place for the cathedral to be built. Everything from the bell-ringing to rose bushes and quiet alleys of gardens with dense trees through which the tops of the churches are visible, is saturated with harmony and tranquility. The Echmiatsin complex comprises three more churches built in memory of the holy martyrs, namely Saint Gayane, Saint Hripsime and Saint Shoghakat.
1 hour and 30 minutes
4
Zvartnots Temple
On our way to Yerevan after the excursion to Echmiatsin, we offer our guests another destination point. Zvartnots - “Temple of the Vigil Angels” (translated literally), is included in the UNESCO heritage list and is unique with its architecture and preserved details. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the ruins of the temple were known only from written sources; shortly afterwards, however, the temple was excavated from under clay layers and restored. It is a vivid example of Armenian architecture of antiquity today. We guarantee unique photos and a wonderful completion of the tour.
