Saint Hripsime Church

Saint Hripsime Church tickets: which one to buy

Saint Hripsime Church stands on the eastern edge of Vagharshapat, the town of Etchmiadzin, about twenty kilometres west of Yerevan, and entry is free. It is one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Etchmiadzin and Zvartnots, and it is usually the first church visitors see when arriving from Yerevan. Tours to Etchmiadzin combine Saint Hripsime with the cathedral, Saint Gayane and the ruins of Zvartnots in a half day, sometimes adding the Sardarapat memorial.

Minibuses and taxis from Yerevan are inexpensive. The church is an active place of worship, and women should cover their heads; scarves are sometimes available. Weddings and baptisms are frequent, especially on weekends. A small shop sells candles, and visitors often light one on arrival, as Armenians do. A small cafe near the church sells coffee and pastries.

Visiting Saint Hripsime Church: what to see

The church is dedicated to Hripsime, one of the Christian virgins who fled Roman persecution to Armenia with the abbess Gayane and was martyred by King Tiridates III around the year 300; according to tradition, she refused the king's advances. The first chapel over her tomb was built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator, and the present church was built in 618 by Catholicos Komitas. It is considered a masterpiece of early Armenian architecture: a compact cross-shaped plan with four apses and corner niches, supporting a central dome on a drum, creating a harmonious and solid form that influenced later churches across Armenia and Georgia.

The walls are of grey-pink tuff, and the interior is austere, with little decoration. The tomb of Saint Hripsime is in a crypt beneath the altar. A bell tower was added at the entrance in the seventeenth century. The exterior walls have deep triangular niches that emphasise the structure, and the dome is topped by a conical roof. Inscriptions and carved crosses mark the entrance. The crypt holds the tomb of the saint, reached by steps below the altar, where pilgrims light candles. The churchyard includes graves of clergy and a khachkar garden. The interior's bare stone walls create strong acoustics for singing.

Saint Hripsime Church opening hours and the best time to go

The church is open daily from morning until evening. Weekends are busy with weddings and families, while weekday mornings are quiet. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons in Armenia; summer is hot and dry, and winter is cold. Religious festivals, including the feast of the holy virgins in June, draw pilgrims to the church. Mount Ararat is visible from the Etchmiadzin area on clear days, especially in the morning.

Allow about twenty minutes for Saint Hripsime, and continue to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral complex, about a kilometre to the west, and to Saint Gayane. Zvartnots, the ruins of a seventh-century round cathedral, lies on the road back to Yerevan and has a small museum. Taxis from Yerevan will wait while you visit the churches, and fares are low by European standards.