Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots

Armenia embraced Christianity earlier than any other state, and its architectural heart beats at Echmiatsin, where the cathedral's origins reach back to the early 4th century. Together with nearby churches and the ruined 7th-century rotunda of Zvartnots, the ensemble traces the emergence and refinement of the central-domed, cross-plan church — a form whose influence spread far beyond the region. UNESCO inscribed the cathedral, churches and the Zvartnots archaeological site in 2000.