Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator is the largest church located on the territory of Yerevan. Along with the Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi, it is considered the largest in the Caucasus.
The Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator was erected in honor of the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity by Armenia. This temple is a place of storage of relics that are associated with Gregory the Illuminator. They were brought here from the city of Naples.
The construction of the cathedral began in 1997. The initiator of its construction was Garegin I. The architect of the temple was S. Kyurkchyan. In September 2001, the cathedral was consecrated.
The cathedral complex consists of three temples - the Church of St. Tiridates, the Church of the Holy Queen Ashkhen and the cathedral itself. The main temple of the complex was built with donations from the family of Alek Manukyan. The construction of the other two churches was financed by the Gevorgian and Nazaryan families. The construction of the bell tower was financed by Eduardo Eurnekian. The total area of the complex is approximately 3822 sq. m, the height of the cathedral itself from the ground to the very top of the cross is 54 m.
Geometric shapes, strict contours and restrained colors characteristic of the cathedral make the building unique. The interior of the cathedral is very light and spacious, there are no wall paintings, there are very few icons, there are arches and niches on the walls and ceiling. Slightly oblong and narrow windows are decorated with beautiful stained-glass windows.
