اچمیادزین

   

اچمیادزین یکی از شهرهای استان آرماویر کشور ارمنستان واقع در منطقه قفقاز، آسیا است.

آنچه باید بدانید

آستان قدس اچمیادزین (در ارمنی Էջմիածին) که در استان آرماویر، ارمنستان واقع شده، مرکز کلیسایی ارمنیان و مکانی بسیار مقدس برای مردم این کشور است. جاثلیق کل ارامنه در این شهر زندگی می‌کند و کلیسای اچمیادزین که در سال ۴۸۰ ساخته شده در آنجا قرار دارد.

واژه اچمیادزین به معنای ظهور تک‌فرزند (منظور عیسی به‌عنوان تنها فرزند خدا) است، زیرا به باور مردم، عیسی خود در آنجا از آسمان به زمین فرو آمد تا مکان دلخواهش را برای ساخت کلیسا نشان دهد.

گردش در شهر

•   Khrimian Museum. Built and opened in 1896. It has been renovated to become a museum of art.
•   Alex and Marie Manoogian Treasury House. Constructed in 1982. The museum is home to treasures of the Armenian Church throughout the history.
•   Catholicosal Museum (Old Pontificial Residence). The old pontifical residence built in 1738–1741 and served as residence until 1962. Since 1968 the building has served as Catholicosal Museum.

دیدنی‌ها

St. Hripsime Cathedral

Shoghakat Church

Zvartnots Cathedral

The following 5 monuments are listed as World Heritage Sights by UNESCO.

•   Cathedral of Echmiadzin. Founded in 301 by St. Gregory the Illuminator and rebuilt and added to for over 1,700 years, Echmiadzin now is the heart of the Armenian Church, and seat of the Catholicos of all Armenians. The altar is built over an ancient pagan fire worshiping pit (accessible from the museum behind the altar), the inside has interesting frescoes, altar, lamps, and thrones. The intricate bell tower entrance is an addition from the 1800s, and the surrounding grounds have gardens with examples of khachkars from throughout Armenia and further. Near the new entrance gates are a few exquisite khachkar examples from Jugha (now in Azerbaijan) - which had by far the largest khachkar collection in the world. The thousands of khachkars which remained there were destroyed during this decade by the Azeri government. In autumn 2018 the cathedral interior is a building site, though services continue - this work will probably drag on into 2019. The Treasury is unaffected and well-worth seeing, though the star exhibit, the Roman Geghard or "Spear used at the Cross", is on loan to NY Met Museum until mid-Feb 2019. Cathedral free, Treasury 1,500 dram.
•   St. Hripsime Cathedral. An outstanding example of earlier Christian architecture, this 7th century cathedral with soaring ceilings and vast interior space was an example for future architects.
•   St. Gayane Church. Built in honor of one of the Christian virgins killed by the Armenian King, along with Hripsime, this smaller church with an arcade in front is a few blocks south of the Echmiadzin compound.
•   Shoghakat Church. At the site of the present day church of Shoghakat, there stood an earlier church of the 6th or 7th century which has not survived. Current building was erected in 1694 by Prince Aghamal Sorotetsi. The name of the church comes from Armenian (Շողակաթ եկեղեցի) meaning "drop of light" because of the ray of light that came down from heaven upon Hripsimé's martyrs.
•   Zvartnots Cathedral. Ruins of cathedral built 643-652 by the order of Catholicos Nerses. It's a 3-tiered rotunda on a platform (ramp on right) with a small museum. 1,300 dram.