Saint Gayane Church, 7th-century Armenian church in Vagharshapat, Armenia.
Saint Gayane is a 7th-century Armenian church with a central domed structure, three interior naves, and an octagonal drum supported by four pillars. The building features a semicircular eastern apse and three entrances, including a main arched portico and two side doorways.
The church was built in 630 AD by Catholicos Ezra I at the site where Saint Gayane suffered martyrdom. A triple-arched portico was added later in 1683 and served as a burial place for important Armenian religious leaders.
The church bears the name of Saint Gayane, an early Christian martyr whose story is tied to this place. Visitors can see frescoes of saints on the interior walls today, reflecting the site's spiritual meaning for the Armenian community.
You can enter the church through the main facade with its grand arched portico or through two additional openings on the north and south sides. The interior can appear quite dim in daylight, so allow your eyes time to adjust when moving from outside.
The portico area contains burial chambers holding important religious figures from Armenian church history, including Arakel Davrizhetsi and others. These graves show how the site remained a significant pilgrimage destination and place of veneration over the centuries.
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