Echmiadzin, located in the picturesque Ararat Valley, one of the main sacred and hallowed places for Armenians, is an ancient city that is almost two thousand years old.
The name, “The Descent of the Only Begotten Son”, is, According to legend, where Jesus Christ descended from heaven and indicated the spot for a church to be constructed to the sanctity of St. Gregory the Illuminator. Echmiadzin is also the residence of the Supreme Catholics of all Armenians and the centre of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Every seven years, the rite of blessing of holy chrism is held here; thousands of believers come to Echmiadzin as pilgrims from different parts of the world for this ceremony. In 2000, the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin was included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List.
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