Echmiadzin

     Echmiadzin, which means the “The Descent of the Only Begotten Son, is an ancient capital of Armenia. According to legend, Jesus Christ descended from heaven and indicated the spot for a church to be built. Holy Echmiadzin Cathedral was erected at that site in the 4th century (301-303), at the dawn of the Christian conversion of the country by King Trdat III and Saint Gregory the Illuminator. The Cathedral was built on top of the pagan temple of Vagharshapat, after it was destroyed by King Trdat. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion.

Zvartnots 

     The architectural masterpiece of Zvartnots was built by the order of the Catholicos Nerses III between the years 641 and 662. It was damaged by an earthquake in the 10th century and unearthed nearly a thousand years later in 1900-1907, in the town of Echmiadzin.