expedia

Group Tour | Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral), Zvartnots

By Spinnaker Travel Armenia DMC
10 out of 10
Exceptional
Free cancellation available
Price is P 2,405 per adult
Features
  • Free cancellation available
  • 5h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation
  • Selective hotel pickup
  • Multiple languages
Overview

On this tour you will head out of the city to visit the archaeological site of the 7th century ruins of the UNESCO listed Zvartnots, its remaining columns set against a magnificent backdrop of the snowy peaks of Mount Ararat. We continue on to Armenia’s Holy City of Echmiadzin, the former capital, where we plan to visit the UNESCO listed Echmiadzin Cathedral.

• Visit the ruins of the 7th century temple Zvartnots
• Admire the beauty of Holy City Echmiadzin
• Opportunity to visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Get acquainted with the history and religion of Armenia
• See a piece of the cross on which Christ was crucified

Activity location

  • Saint Hripsime Church
    • Mesrop Mashtots St., 85, Near the Echmiadzin Monastery Complex
    • 1101, Vagharshapat, Armenia, Armenia

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Nalbandyan Street
    • Nalbandyan poxoc
    • Yerevan, Yerevan, Armenia

Check availability


Group Tour | Echmiadzin (Hripsime, Gayane, Mother Cathedral), Zvartnots
  • Activity duration is 5 hours5h
    5h
  • English

Pickup included

Starting time: 10:00
Price details
P 2,405.26 x 1 AdultP 2,405.26

Total
Price is P 2,405.26
Until Sat, Jul 19

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's includedProfessional guide
  • What's includedWhat's includedBottled water
  • What's includedWhat's includedAir-conditioned vehicle
  • What's includedWhat's includedAll Fees and Taxes
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedLunch
  • What's excludedWhat's excludedHotel drop off

Know before you book

  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Saint Hripsime Church
  • 30m
Hripsime church, one of the finest works of Armenian architecture of the classical period, a variant of the concentrical domed composition, stands on a slight elevation, at the eastern edge of Echmiadzin City. This kind of composition is characteristic only of the Christian countries of the Transcaucasus. Its expressive silhouette, seen from afar, stands up sharply against the background of an emerald-green valley dominated by the snow-capped Mt. Ararat.
Saint Gayane Church
  • 30m
The Church of Saint Gayane is a 7th-century Armenian church in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), the religious center of Armenia. It is located within walking distance from the Etchmiadzin Cathedral of 301. St. Gayane was built by Catholicos Ezra I in the year 630. Its design has remained unchanged despite partial renovations of the dome and some ceilings in 1652. Gayane was the name of an abbess who was martyred with other nuns by Tiridates III of Armenia in the year 301, and subsequently made a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In 2000, Saint Gayane Church was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with historical churches of Vagharshapat.
Echmiadzin Monastery
  • 1h 30m
  • Admission ticket included
“We shall come and erect here A well of purest light!” These are the lines to begin both the quatrain of one of the Armenian Catholicos Sahak Dzoroporetsi (677-703) and our tour to this unique complex, consisting of several churches of the residence of the Catholicos and the ruins of the Zvartnots temple. Echmiatsin is a small spiritual capital filled with silence and history. The first stone was laid in 303 and since then the cathedral has undergone significant changes, redevelopments and restorations, yet remained the main sacred place for all the Armenians and an important point of visit for Christians. Relics such as the right hand of Saint John the Baptist, the Holy Lance and the three particles of the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified are kept here. The name translates literally as “The Descent of the Only Begotten”. According to legend, the first patriarch Grigor the Illuminator had a dream of Christ descending from heaven with a fiery hammer in his hand and indicating the place for the cathedral to be built. Everything from the bell-ringing to rose bushes and quiet alleys of gardens with dense trees through which the tops of the churches are visible, is saturated with harmony and tranquility. The Echmiatsin complex comprises three more churches built in memory of the holy martyrs, namely Saint Gayane, Saint Hripsime and Saint Shoghakat.
Zvartnots Temple
  • 45m
  • Admission ticket included
On our way to Yerevan after the excursion to Echmiatsin, we offer our guests another destination point. Zvartnots - “Temple of the Vigil Angels” (translated literally), is included in the UNESCO heritage list and is unique with its architecture and preserved details. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the ruins of the temple were known only from written sources; shortly afterwards, however, the temple was excavated from under clay layers and restored. It is a vivid example of Armenian architecture of antiquity today. We guarantee unique photos and a wonderful completion of the tour.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIESSaint Hripsime Church
    • Mesrop Mashtots St., 85, Near the Echmiadzin Monastery Complex
    • 1101, Vagharshapat, Armenia, Armenia

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLENalbandyan Street
    • Nalbandyan poxoc
    • Yerevan, Yerevan, Armenia

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