WOX TRAVEL CONTEST WEEK 5 - My Visit to Echmiadzin and Zvartnots

Hello friends. My name is Naira and I'm from Armenia. I wanted to share with you the places I visited last Thursday and Friday when I stopped by to show my out-of-town guest around. Knowing that I could share my travel stories on Steemit excited me and I took plenty of photos to share with you.

There are many unique historical sites worth visiting in Yerevan. At the top of the list is the holy city of Etchmiadzin. Not visiting this place is like not seeing Armenia.

Etchmiadzin holds a significant place in Armenian culture. It's where Armenian culture began to develop. According to the information boards at the entrance, the world's first Christian church was built right here in the city of Etchmiadzin. The roles of st. Gregory and King Tiridates III of Greater Armenia were crucial in this significant event. The king who was known for persecuting Christians in the pre-Christian era, miraculously recovered after Gregory's prayers. As a gesture of gratitude, the king released Gregory from his 13-year imprisonment and declared Christianity as the state religion. According to legend st. Gregory indicated that this place would be the location for the first Christian church.

The church was named Etchmiadzin, which means The Only Begotten Son of God. Initially, the church was made of wood and had a basilica shape. It was later reconstructed in the shape of a cross and built from stone.

Today renovation work is being done in Etchmiadzin. But it shouldn't deter you from visiting. If you're traveling by your own car, it's a good idea to arrive early to find a suitable parking spot. The entrance fee for two people is 3000 dram, which is roughly equivalent to 8 dollars.

It's generally a peaceful and relaxed place where you can take a leisurely stroll and even have a snack at a café.

While walking, you'll come across fruit trees and trees laden with various fruits. If you've arrived by your own car or taxi, you'll need to walk about three hundred meters from the entrance.

Another place worth visiting nearby is the temple. Zvartnots Cathedral which existed for only 300 years before being destroyed by earthquakes. The temple didn't survive in its original form to this day. Archaeologists found the remains of this temple during excavations in the early 20th century.

Back then, the temple was entirely underground and they excavated it and tried to restore it. Today you can only imagine the former glory of Zvartnots Cathedral. If you wish, you can visit the archaeological museum and see the original form of the temple.

There's not much left here, so the atmosphere might seem serene. Today, the temple stands as a small area surrounded by columns. There are no windows or doors. Inside the temple, you can find many restored elements. But you can also see genuine ancient temple pieces, including some stones and pieces of the altar and pulpit located in the center of the temple.

Zvartnots also once had a section where the remains of Saint Gregory the Illuminator were kept. But it's currently empty and closed in a café. In the temple complex area, you can find the remains of the palace, a Roman bathhouse and the basilica. You can also explore the remnants of an ancient wine storage area or a wine production facility and you might even see special stone troughs for draining wine.

To the west of the bathhouse, there are some rooms referred to as thrones and ash columns. This is what the remnants of past civilizations look like. Each block seems to be numbered, for example, 65-66, probably indicating they were arranged on the ground or perhaps left as they were. So, you can see how the stones fit together.

After visiting the souvenir shop at the exit of the temple, we continued on our way.

That's all for today, dear friends. Thanks for reading.