The Oldest Cathedral In The World Reopens After Years-Long Renovation

♱ The Etchmiadzin Cathedral reopens after years-long renovation

Thousands of the faithful and the just plain curious flocked to Armenia’s Etchmiadzin Cathedral on September 29 to witness the reconsecration of the early 4th century edifice after twelve years of renovation.

Only invited guests were allowed inside the cathedral to witness the religious ceremony. Those outside followed the proceedings on large screens installed in the cathedral’s yard. They were allowed in after the ceremony to receive Holy Communion and to see the cathedral’s new interior.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is the pre-eminent center of authority in the worldwide Armenian Apostolic Church. Located near the capital of Yerevan in the Republic of Armenia, it is composed of:

The Mother Cathedral of the entire Armenian Church; The monastery and monastic brotherhood;
The residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians;

Various religious and cultural institutions, such as the Kevorkian Theological Seminary and a museum

The cathedral dates back to the 4th century, and is reckoned the oldest Christian cathedral in world. Although the current sanctuary was erected in the 1600s, remnants of the 4th-century altar have been unearthed beneath the present structure.

In its capacity as the residence of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (the pontiff of the Armenian Church), Holy Etchmiadzin is known as the “Catholicate of All Armenians.” It became the seat of the Catholicate of the entire Armenian nation in the 4th century, following the conversion of King Tiridates III to Christianity by St. Gregory the Illuminator in AD 301.

According to the chronicler Agathangelos, soon after Armenia’s conver­sion to Christianity, St. Gregory had a vision of the Son of God. Appearing as a heroic figure of light surrounded by a mighty angelic host, Christ struck the ground with a golden ham­mer, indicating the place where the Mother Cathedral of the new Christian nation was to be established. The name Etchmiadzin–literally, “where the Only Begotten descended”–refers to this episode.