PLACES OF WORSHIP

XIII century

State index: 1.6.73

The church is located in the center of the city, at the northern corner of the crossroads of Abovyan and Sayat-Nova streets, at 15th Abovyan street. 

The church was also known as “Yerevan’s house of prayer.” It represents by itself a small structure (5.4 x 7.6m), and dates back to the 13th century, according to appropriate epigraphs preserved on the walls of the church, especially, the earliest engraving on the southern wall in 1264 on buying Yerevan “with land and water” by a certain baron Sahmadin.

In 1284 the church was granted a land as a donation, in 1301 - two stalls, in 1318 - lands in Noragavit, in 1598 - a garden. In 1604 during the occupation of Yerevan led by Shah Abbas I of Persia, St. Astvatsatsin was damaged. In 1609 Khoja Grigor built a parsonage house next to the church, also donated manuscripts, precious church utensils, etc. In the XVII century, St. Astvatsatsin had an inn, where the Catholicos of all Armenians, Movses III Tatevatsi, temporarily stayed and lived until the renovation of Etchmiadzin Cathedral. 

After the Ararat valley earthquake in 1679 the small church remained standing, but the parsonage house was destroyed. In 1693-1695, a samely named large three-nave basilica church with two pairs of cross gables was built on this site. The western façade of the small church was transformed into a large arched hole, due to which it was included in the newly built church and served as an altar for the church.

The XIII-century St. Astvatsatsin church is a dome-made composition. As an individual architectural building, it was discovered during the demolition of much larger church (in December 1936-March 1937), which was carried out within the framework of Yerevan’s new urban plan and street improvement project. On the western wall of the church, frescoes depicting the apostles St. Paul and St. Peter, St. Hripsime and St. Gayane virgins (1819) have been preserved. They are made of smooth tuff.

The Kathoghike Church is the unique monument of medieval Yerevan built and left standing before a devastating earthquake in 1679, so it was decided to preserve it. For this aim, in 1937 it had been renovated, the surroundings had been improved. Several renovation works were also carried out in 1950. The large arched hole of the west façade had been covered by glasses.

For several decades after the construction of the Language Institute of Armenian Soviet Academy of Science in church’s vicinity, left the church in the backyard of the building, invisible from the street. In the 2000s, when the surrounding area was provided to the Armenian Apostolic Church, and when the construction works of St. Anna Church began (2011-2014), the Language Institute was demolished, and the aforementioned glass facade of the church was restored. The XIII-century structure has risen in all its height and is now visible from all sides.

“Scientific Research Centre of Historical and Cultural Heritage” SNCO

Yerevan Municipality