Katoghike St. Church

Among the numerous religious buildings of Yerevan one of the most interesting is the Church of St. Katoghike, dating back  to the XVIIth century. During the archaeological excavations ancient Khatckars, dated back to 1472 were found , and after research it was discovered that they belong to an ancient church, built on this place, which bored  the name Astvatsatsin (Armenian for Holy Virgin). The hypothesis of the existence of the church was fully confirmed during the demolishing of St. Katoghike Church, when its southern and northern walls were exposed, to which were added two vestries. The most ancient inscriptions on the above mentioned walls date back to 1264. On the west wall were found inscriptions dating from the 1229, 1284 and the XVI century, on the north side were found inscriptions dating from the 1909. This fact is important because the Church of St. Astvatsatsin is the only medieval church of Yerevan, which extant after the devastating earthquake in 1679. With limited opportunities for church activities, currently it serves as a chapel.