Saint Gayane Church

Saint Gayane Church tickets: which one to buy

Saint Gayane Church stands in Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiadzin, the spiritual centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church, about twenty kilometres west of Yerevan, and entry is free. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the churches of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane and the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral. Tours from Yerevan to Etchmiadzin combine these sites in a half day, and the drive is short.

Minibuses run from Yerevan to Vagharshapat, and taxis are inexpensive. The church stands a few minutes' walk south of the cathedral complex. It is an active church, and women are asked to cover their heads. Weddings and baptisms are frequent, especially at weekends, and are welcoming to observe quietly. Photography is usually allowed without flash. Minibuses to Vagharshapat leave from the Kilikia bus station in Yerevan every twenty minutes.

Visiting Saint Gayane Church: what to see

The church is dedicated to Gayane, the abbess of a group of Christian virgins who fled persecution by the Roman emperor Diocletian and came to Armenia, where they were martyred by the pagan king Tiridates III at the end of the third century; the conversion of the king and of Armenia to Christianity followed. The church was built in 630 by Catholicos Ezr, and it has kept its original form, a domed basilica with three aisles and a central octagonal drum, in the typical Armenian style of pinkish tuff stone.

A gallery with arches was added at the west end in the seventeenth century, and it holds the graves of several patriarchs of the Armenian Church. Inside, the church is simple and harmonious, with an altar raised on a platform and a few frescoes and khachkars. The tomb of Saint Gayane lies beneath the altar. The west gallery has three arches opening towards the courtyard, and its walls hold carved gravestones of patriarchs. The drum of the dome has small windows that let light fall on the altar. Stone inscriptions around the entrance record the building and restoration of the church. Old khachkars stand in the churchyard among trees.

Saint Gayane Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily. Sunday mornings bring the Divine Liturgy, sung by choirs, and are busy with worshippers. Armenia has hot, dry summers and cold winters; spring and autumn are the best seasons for sightseeing. Religious festivals, especially Easter, Vardavar in summer, when people splash each other with water, and the feast of Etchmiadzin, bring crowds to Vagharshapat.

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral complex, with its treasury, is a short walk away, and Saint Hripsime is about a kilometre to the east. Allow about twenty minutes for Saint Gayane, and half a day for all the Etchmiadzin sites including Zvartnots on the road back to Yerevan. The treasury museum of Etchmiadzin Cathedral holds a spear said to have pierced Christ and other relics, and it is open daily except Mondays. Candles bought at the entrance are placed in sand trays near the door, as local worshippers do.