Legend
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin
The Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin is located in the Armavir province of the Republic of Armenia. It is the seat of the All Armenian Catholicos, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was built near the royal palace by St. Gregory the Illuminator in 301-303 in Vagharshapat, the capital of Armenia at the time. According to a legend, Gregory the Illuminator chose the location of the first Armenian Church based on a vision, in which Jesus descended on the very spot where the Church was later built and hit the ground with a golden hammer, indicating the location of the monastery. As a result, the monastery received its name Etchmiadzin (from Ijav Miadziny, i.e. the one and only born descended).
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