Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, Armenian church in Tatev, Armenia

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church is a vaulted hall with restrained decoration, built of stone and attached on its south side to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. It is the earliest surviving place of worship in the Tatev Monastery complex, around which the monastery grew.

A first church was founded here in the 4th century, in the early period of Armenian Christianity, and the historian Stepanos Orbelian describes it as modest in appearance. The surviving church was built in the mid-9th century under the Syunik prince Pilipos (Philippe), while Armenia was regaining statehood. It was destroyed by the earthquake of 1138 and rebuilt at the end of the 13th century by the Orbelian dynasty, during the Zakarian principality.

The church is named after Gregory the Illuminator, who brought Christianity to Armenia in the early 4th century. According to the 13th-century historian Stepanos Orbelian, a first church stood here in the 4th century; the present building was erected in the 9th century by the Syunik prince Pilipos. It is the earliest surviving place of worship at Tatev, and the monastery grew around it.

The church stands within the Tatev monastery complex, reached by road from Halidzor or by the Wings of Tatev cable car. The terrain is uneven and the site is exposed to weather, so wear sturdy shoes. The church is the oldest surviving structure of the complex, with the 17th-century Peter and Paul cathedral adjoining its south wall.

The church is the earliest surviving structure of Tatev Monastery: the whole complex grew up around it. According to the 13th-century historian Stepanos Orbelian, a modest church already stood here in the 4th century, and the present building was raised on its site.