St. Gregory the Great Armenian Church, Armenian church building in Bab al-Sharqi district, Baghdad, Iraq.
St. Gregory the Great is an Armenian church in Baghdad's Bab al-Sharqi area, built of white reinforced concrete with a lower band of beige and ochre stone. Its octagonal cupola has a band of windows and a pyramid-shaped roof topped by a metal Armenian cross. The facade is flanked by two tall towers with conical roofs and narrow arched windows.
Construction began in 1954 on a site the Armenian Church had owned since 1904, with the building completed in 1957. It was established during a period when Baghdad's Armenian community was a well-established and thriving presence in the city.
The church serves as a gathering place for Baghdad's Armenian community, where people come together for worship and celebrations tied to their faith and heritage. It remains a living center for maintaining traditions and community bonds across generations.
The church stands in the Bab al-Sharqi locality on al-Tayeran Square, in eastern Baghdad. Two memorials to the Armenian Genocide victims stand outside the building, erected in 1990 and 2015. Visitors should arrange any visit around the congregation's service times rather than expect set opening hours.
The paintings by Antranik Ohanessian inside the church depict the events of the Armenian Genocide in graphic detail, not general moments of Armenian history. Two memorials to the genocide victims stand outside the church, erected in 1990 and 2015.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,704 contributors worldwide.