Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots, UNESCO World Heritage religious complex and archaeological site in Armavir Province, Armenia

The Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots comprise six separate areas in Armenia's Armavir Province, west of Yerevan. The cathedral, three churches and a cemetery stand in the ancient capital Echmiatsin, while Zvartnots, east of the city, holds the ruins of a cathedral, a palace and other buildings. The churches are mainly cross-domed, often built as a tetrakonchos with four conches.

The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin was built around 301 to 303 CE on the site of a former pagan temple, shortly after Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Zvartnots was raised in the 7th century but collapsed after an earthquake in the 10th century, and its remains were only rediscovered through excavations in the early 20th century.

The name Etchmiadzin means "descent of the Only-Begotten": according to the 5th-century historian Agathangelos, Gregory the Illuminator saw Christ descend from heaven and strike the ground with a golden hammer, marking where the cathedral was to rise. The site remains the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whose see was moved here from Zvartnots after Nerses III had transferred it there in 641.

Both sites are in the same area west of Yerevan and can comfortably be visited in a single day, starting with the cathedral complex and then continuing to Zvartnots. Wear comfortable shoes for Zvartnots, as the archaeological remains are spread across open, uneven ground.

The cathedral's dome rests on four massive free-standing pillars, a detail added when the building was rebuilt in the 17th century after earlier earthquakes. Look up inside to see how the central drum opens above the nave, letting light fall directly on the altar below.