Mount Ararat is located in eastern Turkey on the borders of Uran and Armenia
The Armenians, one of the most ancient civilized people of Western Asia
belong to the Indo-European family. Their origin can be traced back as far as 3,000 years before Christ
and their presence in the Caucasus area is testified by the Greek and Syrian historic and mythological sources
Their home country, the area where the identity of the Armenian people came into existence and later developed
is commonly referred to as the historic Armenia. Armenia was a buffer state between the powerful empires of Rome and Persia
To the left, the snowy peak of Mount Ararat crowns a chain of mountains with the lush vineyards in their foothills
The mountainous nature of Armenia results in a series of highly diverse landscapes
with variations in geological substrate, terrain, climate, soils and water resources. These landscapes support a great variety of habitats
Igmeatzen is a mere 20 kilometers from Yerevan. Igmeatzen, known as Vagashapat before 1945
was founded by the king Vagashak in the place of the ancient settlement of the 3rd century BC
On the territory of Vagashapat, there have survived monuments of various periods of Armenia's history
The first people to adopt Christianity as a state religion, Armenians recognized St. Gregory the Illuminator as their apostle
Armenia adopted a new alphabet in the early 5th century, revealed by God to the monk Mesrob Mastod
Armenian Christians remained under the powerful combined religious and political jurisdiction of the Byzantine Empire until the 6th century
when the Armenian Church asserted its independence by breaking with the Byzantine doctrine of Christ's dual nature
Christian art in Armenia flourished first at the frontiers of the Islamic and Byzantine empires
and then as a result of contracts with the Near Eastern Crusader art
before undergoing a revival while subjugated to Persian and Ottoman rule. The Igmeadsen Cathedral is the cornerstone of faith for 9 million Armenians worldwide
It is supposedly the oldest monastic foundation in the Christian world and Armenians and Christians alike make a pilgrimage to Igmeadsen every year
In addition, Igmeadsen Cathedral and the nearby museum have some of the oldest Christian reliques in the world attracting historians and tourists
The Armenian culture is one of the world's oldest. It carries all the layers of human civilization
The beginning of the new period of the history of Armenia is considered to be in 301 CE
when Armenia declared Christianity as its state religion. According to the great 5th century Armenian historian Agathangel
St Gregory the Illuminate first patriarch of Armenia had a vision Christ came down from heaven and touched the earth with a golden hammer
In that place, a church was built called Igmyatzin, the place where the only begotten descended
In the garden complex there are kachka. A kachka is an outdoor vertically erected flat stele
which, when in situ, is positioned in relation to the four cardinal points of the world
The western side has an ornamentally carved cross, accompanied by vegetative geometric motifs
with animals, particularly birds, and sometimes with carvings of people. The Kachkar both stimulated and reflects the unique development of Armenian culture
It is one of the most characteristic symbols of Armenian identity, with this marvellous carvings, saviour symbolism of the cross
and the notion of eternity which is conveyed by the stele. The Kachkar was one of the most respected and, due to its positioning under the open air
one of the most accessible saints. After more than a thousand years, the Kachkar is also a contemporary cultural phenomenon
Today, hundreds of Kachkars are still being created in Armenia. The religious building remains in Igmeatsin bears witness to the implantation of Christianity in Armenia
and to the evolution of a unique Armenian ecclesiastical architecture. This exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region
Today, the structural complex of Igmeatsin, known as Holy Igmeatsin
includes around the courtyard the buildings of the Catholicoset, a school, winter and summer refectories, a hostel and Tridats Gate
built in the 17th till the 19th centuries. The Cathedral of Holy Egmyertsin is the most ancient Christian temple in Armenia
It was built in 301 till 303 by St. Gregory the Illuminator
the founder of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the capital and religious centre of Armenia at that time
Armenian architecture, a particularly rich part of the Armenian heritage, is widely recognised as a unique contribution to international architecture
The tradition of architectural engineering has ancient origins on the Armenian highlands
In Armenia, the church's plans were usually modified to conform to local conditions
A number of unique church forms were invented by Armenian architects in the pursuit of ever more efficiently built and aesthetically conceived houses of worship The roofs were composite in their appearance because they had to cover the vaults and domes of a complex
though symmetric, group of inner spaces. Like the inner and outer walls and the drum, they too were made of tougher thinly cut into uniform shingles
The Armenian preference or weakness for the dome manifested itself very early
By the end of the 6th century, a church without a dome was unthinkable
Other than a few early exceptions, the dome or cupola was elevated about the other vaulted ceilings by a cylindrical drum
All churches are built entirely in stone. The scarcity of wood prevented its architectural use in medieval Armenia
With rare exceptions, the stone used is a volcanic toffer abundant in Armenia in many colours and shades
On the monastery yard, the gate of King Trudad leads to the pontificial residence
The only evidence remaining of a door in this location in ancient times
is an existing upper arch. According to tradition, Tridat and the family of the king
enter the cathedral from this door. In a country with an architectural tradition in stone dating back to Urasian times
the craftsmen, who so carefully carved blocks of stones for walls, fortresses and sanctuaries
had acquired the skill to sculpt stone as relief decorations for buildings or as independent works of art
The Christian Times relief sculptures on the facades of churches is very abundant
Almost all 6th and 7th century churches have carved decorative bands, but some have figural reliefs around the windows and in the tympana of doorways
The eclectic quality of the Armenian art make it both complex and diverse
encompassing ideas from the Orient and the Occident, from the classical and Byzantine world, and the vast realm of Islam
Yet, Armenian art managed to remain independent and was rarely imitative. The cathedral has three entrances
The main one is the entrance of the bell tower. The other two entrances are located in the cathedral's southwest and northwest corners
A historical fourth entrance was traditionally located near the eastern corner, where there is a wall at present
The consecration of the cathedral occurred on the Saturday preceding the assumption of the Holy Mother of God and was named St. Mary Edward Satsen
As a result, the commemoration day of the Mother Cathedral occurs on the Saturday preceding the Feast of the Assumption
of the Holy Mother of God. In the Christian world the Mother Cathedral of Holy Igmyatzen is the oldest example of a cruciform
Tetra-altered and Tetra-columned dome-centered church in the Christian architecture. This specific style and design was spread to Byzantium and throughout Europe
Although she has suffered destructions followed by renovation throughout the centuries, the current form of the Mother Cathedral corresponds with the original illuminated drawing of the illuminator's vision
Excavations during the 1950s confirmed that no later than from the 5th century
the Mother Cathedral had a rectangular cruciform plan with a dome wherein the west, south and north sides had salient apses
semi-circular on the inside and pentagonal from the outside. There are two distinctive features of Armenian church architecture
The first is the use of double-intersecting arches to span the interior space
eliminating the need for the supporting columns familiar in other types of churches
The altar of descent is located in the center of the cathedral
directly underneath the main dome. The altar is located on the spot where St. Gregory the Illuminator
saw Christ descend to the ground and strike the earth with a golden hammer
revealing the vision of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Igmyatzen. The interior arches and domes are adorned with a weave of multicoloured ornamentation
combined with a gold leaf. These floral and natural decorations continue to the base of the dome
and interlacing with one another, reach up through the vault of the dome and finally intersect at the apex
with a twelve-sided star-shaped illustration. The main altar, as seen from the chancel
is honouredly decorated with frescoes and ornamentation. Made of Italian Carrera marble
the beauty of the altar lies in the simplicity of its design
Traditionally, the Mother Cathedral had seven holy altars, five of which are used today for services
In the Mother Cathedral, Divine Liturgy is celebrated on the main altar
and the other autos are used to celebrate the liturgy once a year
on the commemoration day of the given saint. Similar divine liturgy is celebrated on the altar of the belfry of the Mother Cathedral
every year on the Feast of the Holy Archangels. The religious building remains in Igmeatsin bear witness to the implantation of Christianity in Armenia
and to the evolution of a unique Armenian ecclesiastical architecture. the Armenian Central Dome Cross Hall type
which exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region