As my third day in Armenia began, I grabbed some breakfast and headed out to visit the oldest cathedral and some of the oldest Christian churches in the world! Join me as I try an Armenian basturma omelet and go on an ancient churches tour of the city of Etchmiadzin near the capital city of Yerevan!
Lusine:
My day began bright and early at the Cascade, a massive limestone stairway in downtown area that also has art exhibits. My guide Lucine and I headed to the only diner open in the area, Aperitivo Café.
Aperitivo Café is one of the few cafés open in the morning in Yerevan. They offer lots of breakfast items, but I went with the Armenian basturma omelet, the Armenian tomato omelet, and a strong double espresso.
After my espresso, our basturma omelet and tomato omelet arrived. Basturma is a delicious dried and cured meat that is coated in salt, pepper, and lots of spices.
The basturma omelet was salty and I liked the pepper in it. The basturma was thinly sliced and the eggs were light and fluffy. The Armenian tomato omelet contained black pepper and juicy and sweet tomatoes.
We exited Yerevan and arrived at Saint Hripsime Church, an Armenian Apostolic church that dates back to the year 618. It’s one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia. It’s part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The church is built from tuff stone. It’s known for its classical Armenian architectural style, which includes special corners that are made for seismic stability.
Inside, you can really feel how ancient this 1,400-year-old church is. Inside are the original, carved door and the crypt of Saint Hripsime, one of the first Christian martyrs in Armenia. It’s a prime example of medieval churches!
Next, we headed to the 7th-century Church of Saint Gayane, which dates back to 630. Etchmiadzin is the holy and spiritual center of Armenia. Inside the grounds are gardens and tombstones of priests. Like Saint Hripsime, Saint Gayane was buried after being stoned to death, and the church was built around her grave.
The church has two smaller cupolas and three archways. Its entryway was built in the 17th century. The style is a little different from Saint Hripsime Church, as it’s a four-pillar cupola church instead of a cross-shaped one.
Inside is Saint Gayane’s crypt, where you’ll find her gravestone, a painting of the 36 nuns, and an altar. Elsewhere are paintings, an altar, and a gift shop.
Outside are tombstones belonging to high-positioned priests and bishops from the 17th century. There’s an incredible painting over the door and an ancient stone cross next to the door.
Next, we visited Holy Mother Cathedral, also known as Etchmiadzin Cathedral. We stopped at the huge main gates of the cathedral, where you can see a carving of the king who adopted Christianity, and Gregory the Illuminator greeting each other.
To the left, inside the gates, is a library that houses over 70,000 books in 40 languages, including the first printed Bible in the Armenian language. There’s also a cross stone built in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1965.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral is often considered the first official church and oldest cathedral in the world. It was built in 301 when Armenia adopted Christianity and finished in 303. The cathedral was undergoing restoration when I visited, so I couldn’t go inside.
Nearby is the oldest printing house in the Caucusus, which was built in 1771!
I hope you enjoyed coming along with me to have an Armenian basturma omelet before my ancient churches tour of Etchmiadzin near Yerevan, Armenia! If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures!
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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. For the last decade, I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food, and history! Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,100 destinations in 76 countries, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus a great deal on food and historical sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning about the local history and culture.
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