Your tour starts at 10:00 AM from the local partner's head office in Yerevan. Drive to western Armenia, where your first stop is St. Echmiadzin, the main Armenian Apostolic Church. The Cathedral of Echmiadzin was founded at the beginning of the fourth century and is one of the oldest churches in the world. According to the legend, the church was built in the place where the apparition of Jesus Christ was seen to Gregory the Illuminator in a dream. Your next stop is St. Hripsime's Church, one of the famous ecclesiastical buildings in the city of Echmiadzin. This is the perfect example of cross-cupola churches in Armenia. The Treasures of Echmiadzin Museum is situated in the southeast section of the Cathedral. Unique holy relics and religious art are now housed in the museum.  Your last stop is Zvartnots Temple, which is a result of skillfulness and brave creativity of Armenian architects of the 7th century. At the end of your tour, return to the Yerevan city center.

Visiting Armenia doesn’t count until you pay a visit to Etchmiadzin. This tour will give you a chance to get acquainted with the peculiarities of Armenian Christianity, its rich history and heritage. The first destination of the tour will be St. Hripsime church, which was built on the grave of a Christian nun, who preached and spread Christianity in Armenia. The next spot is 7th century church of St Gayane. Later you will visit the world’s first Christian Cathedral - Echmiadzin. The word “Echmiadzin” means a place where “the only begotten son of God descended”. According to a legend, Jesus Christ descended from heaven and indicated the spot for a church to be built. Echmiadzin is the residence of the Supreme Catholicos of all Armenians and the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The last destination of our tour is one of the brightest landmarks of medieval Armenian architecture – the magnificent Zvartnots Temple constructed in the 7th century. All these churches and the temple are listed on the UNESCO World’s Cultural Heritage Sites.

During this tour you can appear in the most famous pilgrimage site of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Monastery Khor Virap, which is directly connected with the adoption of Christianity in Armenia. It stands before the snowcapped flanks of Mount Ararat offering a spectacular view of the mountain, the national symbol of Armenia. It is where Grigor Luisavorich (St. Gregory the Illuminator) was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the adoption of Christianity in Armenia in the year 301. In fact, the name Khor Virap means “deep pit”, named after the prison where St. Gregory the Illuminator was held. You can still open climb down the pit using a narrow ladder in order to experience its atmosphere.

This trip starts with the visit of Echmiadzin (the religious center of Armenia) with churches, that are listed among the Unesco World Cultural Heritage Sites. The first stops are the churches of St. Hripsime and St. Gayane, that are two of three churches in Echmiadzin, dedicated to the Christian women-martyrs who escaped from Rome with their abbess Gayane. Afterwards there is the visit of Echmiadzin Mother Cathedral (from the outside), the main cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the very first Christian cathedral in the World. Currently Mother Cathedral is under reconstruction and, unfortunately, you can see it only from the outside. There will be a visit to ”Treasures of Echmiadzin” museum. Next up, participate in quite unique Armenian Christmas food master class. Afterwards visit Zvartnots, the medieval temple of St. Gregory, built in the 7th century. It was one of the tallest buildings of the time. Finally, you will discover the fascinating sights of Yerevan, the heart of Armenia. You are going to enjoy interesting stories of the thousand-year history of the capital along with observations of the main architectural monuments, as well as vintage central streets of the city. And from the height of the special viewpoint the whole city will open up towards you.