1797, 1805-1806 ARMENIA - Cathedral and Churches of Etchmiadzin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots (UNESCO WHS)

1805 Etchmiadzin Cathedral (1)

According to UNESCO, "the cathedral and churches of Echmiatzin and the archaeological remains at Zvartnots graphically illustrate the evolution and development of the Armenian central-domed cross-hall type of church, which exerted a profound influence on architectural and artistic development in the region." Built between 301 and 303 in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), the capital and religious centre of Armenia at that time, by Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator, following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III, the Echmiatzin Cathedral was the first cathedral (but not the first church) erected in ancient Armenia, and is considered the oldest cathedral in the world. It replaced a preexisting temple, symbolizing the conversion from paganism to Christianity.

1806 Etchmiadzin Cathedral (2)

It was originally a vaulted basilica, and it was given its present cruciform plan during restoration work in 480. In 618 the wooden cupola was replaced with an identical one in stone which survives almost unchanged. Its mass is supported on four massive independent pillars connected by slender arcades within the exterior walls; those on the northern side belonged to the 4th and 5th centuries. A three-tier belfry was built in front of the western entrance in the 17th century. The six-column rotundas on four-pillar bases, built at the beginning of the 18th century over the northern, eastern and southern apses, give the cathedral a five-domed outline.

1797 Zvartnots Cathedral

Now in ruins, Zvartnots Cathedral (meaning "celestial angels") is a centrally planned aisled tetraconch type Armenian cathedral built by the order of Catholicos Nerses the Builder between 643 and 652. Dedicated to St. Gregory, it was located the place where a meeting between King Tiridates III and Gregory the Illuminator was supposed to have taken place. Following the Arab occupation of Dvin and the intensifying wars between the Byzantine and Arab armies on the former's eastern borders, Nerses transferred the patriarchal palace of the Catholicos from Dvin to Zvartnots.

1079, 1755 ARMENIA - The monastery of Noravank and the upper Amaghou Valley (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

1079 The monastery of Noravank (1)

The armenian architecture developed over the last 4,500 years of habitation in the Armenian Highland (the eastern part of Asia Minor), but its greatest achievement are the medieval churches. This country has abundant resources of stone, so stone was nearly always used throughout for large buildings. In addition, the region being prone to earthquakes, the buildings were erected with this hazard in mind, resulting sturdy, low-slung and thick-walled structures. Even if many relics of Armenia's past have been subject to devastation as a result of Anti-Armenianism, some of them survived, several being included among UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and others being proposed in Tentative List.

1755 The monastery of Noravank (2)

Between the ones proposed is Noravank (New Monastery), a 13th-century monastery located at 122km from Yerevan, in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu river, near the city of Yeghegnadzor. In the 13th-14th centuries it became a residence of Syunik's bishops and, consequently a major religious and, later, cultural center of Armenia closely connected with many of the local seats of learning, especially with Gladzor's famed university and library.

1724 ARMENIA - Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley (UNESCO WHS)

1724 Monastery of Geghard

The Geghard complex is an exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a medieval Armenian monastic foundation in a remote area of great natural beauty. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The spectacular towering cliffs surrounding the monastery are part of the Azat River gorge, and are included together with the monastery in the World Heritage Site listing. Some of the churches are entirely dug out of the cliff rocks, others are little more than caves, while others are elaborate structures, with both architecturally complex walled sections and rooms deep inside the cliff.

1199 ARMENIA - The monasteries of Tatev and Tatevi Anapat and the adjacent areas of the Vorotan Valley (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

1199 The monasteries of Tatev

Located in southeastern Armenia, on the edge of Vorotan gorge, the biggest gorge in the country, at 850m deep, Tatev is known as the bishopric seat of Syunik and played a significant role in the history of the region. The buildings of Tatev itself, protected on two sides by precipitous ravines and on the other two sides by defensive walls, dates from the 9th to the 13th centuries, and the monastery of Tatevi Anapat, on the bottom of the valley, dates to the 17h century.

1095 ARMENIA - Tanahat (Tanadeh) Monastery

As I wrote here, the armenian architecture developed over the last 4,500 years of habitation in the Armenian Highland, but its greatest achievement are the medieval churches and monastery. One of these is Tanahat (Tanadeh) Monastery, one of medieval Armenia's most important religious and cultural centers, mentioned as early as the 8th century. Its main church, Surb Stepanos (St. Stephen - in postcard), was built between the years 1273 to 1279 under the patronage of the Proshian family. The church has a cruciform interior with annexes in its four corners; those flanking the main altar on the east are two-story.

0262 ARMENIA - The map and the flag of the country

My feelings and opinions (subjective, how else, and sometimes started from an insufficient knowledge) related to many nations are mixed, with good and bad, with positive and negative aspects. Towards Armenians, primarily due to their culture and civilization, but also to how they survived for millennia, despite the blows of history and nature, I cherish an unconditional admiration. I hope I will get to talk sometime about the first nation in the world which adopted Christianity as state religion, about the Armenian alphabet, a millennium and a half old (previously of the Arabic script or the Cyrillic one), about Armenian architecture, which offered a number of priorities with worlwide character, spread to remote areas (including the Romanian lands), about Armenian contributions in medicine, philosophy and literature.