Echmiadzin Cathedral and Compound

The mother church of Armenia, in a city also popularly called Echmiadzin.  Though founded the same year as Armenian Christianity, most of the Cathedral was built and rebuilt many times over the years, making it a much more recent structure.  The impressive bell tower is from the 1800s.  The oldest remaining part actually predates the entire church - it's the pagan fire worshiping pit that the church was built over, and it is preserved in the underground chamber that the altar is built over.  The fire pit is accessible through the museum behind the altar area, and usually only by request, and donations are strongly suggested by the priests.  The grounds and gardens have a collection of very nice khachkars (carved stone crosses) from around the country, and there is an Alex Manoogian museum sometimes accessible to the public as well.