Zvartnots Cathedral

Zvartnots Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

The ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral stand in open fields on the edge of the town of Vagharshapat, also known as Etchmiadzin, about fifteen kilometres west of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, beside the main road to Etchmiadzin and near Zvartnots International Airport, and a ticket is required, including the small site museum. The ruins are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots, and they are among the most important monuments of early Armenian architecture.

Visitors usually combine Zvartnots with the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the churches of Saint Hripsime and Saint Gayane, a few minutes away, in a half-day trip from Yerevan. Marshrutkas run from Yerevan to Etchmiadzin, and taxis are inexpensive. The site is open and exposed to the sun, with little shade, so bring water and a hat in summer. On clear days, Mount Ararat rises dramatically behind the ruins, making Zvartnots one of the most photogenic places in Armenia. Guides are available at the site, and information boards explain the building's history.

Visiting Zvartnots Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was built in the middle of the seventh century by Catholicos Nerses III, known as Nerses the Builder, and it was dedicated to Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who converted Armenia to Christianity; it was built on the site where, according to tradition, King Trdat III met Gregory. The name Zvartnots is usually translated as the place of the vigilant angels. The building was a large, round church with three storeys, rising in tiers to a central dome, with an inner quatrefoil plan surrounded by a circular ambulatory, an ambitious design that influenced later architecture in the region. The cathedral collapsed, probably in an earthquake in the tenth century, and its ruins were buried until they were excavated between 1900 and 1907.

The architect Toros Toramanian studied the ruins and proposed a reconstruction of the building's original form. Today, visitors can walk among the foundations and the partly reconstructed columns and arches, and admire the carved capitals decorated with eagles, pomegranates and vines, and the basket-weave capitals bearing the monogram of Nerses. The remains of the Catholicos's palace, a winepress and a sundial carved in stone can also be seen. The museum displays carved fragments and a model of the cathedral. A reconstructed section of the colonnade gives an idea of the building's former height.

Zvartnots Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The site is open from Tuesday to Sunday, and it is closed on Mondays. Spring, when the fields are green and Ararat is still capped with snow, and autumn, with clear skies, are the best seasons. Summer is very hot, and early morning or late afternoon visits are the most comfortable, with the best light for photographs of Ararat. Winter is cold, with snow. Allow about an hour for the ruins and the museum, and continue to Etchmiadzin Cathedral. Sunset light on the pink tuff stone is beautiful.