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Aruch Cathedral

Aruch Cathedral

Monastery

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50 km from Yerevan center

Region:

Aragatsotn

Fifty kilometers from Yerevan, in the quiet village of Aruch, rises one of the largest churches of medieval Armenia – the majestic Cathedral of St. Gregory. Built in the 7th century, it still preserves the grandeur of its era, when Armenian architecture was reaching new heights. Once crowned with a massive dome, the church now stands beneath the open sky, which has become its new canopy, as if continuing the frescoes that still gleam on its ancient walls.

Every stone here seems imbued with the breath of prayers and the echoes of age-old hymns. Next to the cathedral, archaeologists unearthed the ruins of a 7th-century palace – once the residence of local rulers – adding further weight and dignity to the site. In the outskirts of the village lie the remains of a castle and a caravanserai from the 13th-14th centuries, reminders that Aruch was once an important stop along trade routes.

The Cathedral of St. Gregory in Aruch is not only a remarkable monument of architecture but also a symbol of spiritual continuity – a place where the past unfolds before the present in its austere and solemn beauty. Standing within its walls, under the boundless sky that has replaced the dome, one feels that the church still unites earth and heaven.