Saint Hripsime Church
| Saint Hripsime Church | |
|---|---|
St. Hripsime in 2014 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Armenian Apostolic Church |
| Rite | Armenian |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 85 Mesrop Mashtots Street, Vagharshapat, Armavir Province, Armenia |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°10′01″N 44°18′34″E / 40.1670°N 44.3095°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Domed tetraconch |
| Style | Armenian |
| Founder | Catholicos Komitas |
| Completed | c. 618 (church) 1653 (portico) 1790 (belfry) |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 22.8 m (75 ft) |
| Width | 17.7 m (58 ft) |
| Dome height (inner) | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Official name: Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | (ii) (iii) |
| Designated | 2000 (24th session) |
| Reference no. | 1011-004 |
| Region | Western Asia |
Saint Hripsime Church is a seventh-century Armenian Apostolic church in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia. It was built in 618 by Catholicos Komitas over the tomb of Hripsime, a Roman virgin murdered by Tiridates III and a key figure in the Christianization of Armenia.
Standing largely intact since its construction, the church has been widely admired for its architecture and proportions. Considered a masterpiece of classical Armenian architecture, it has influenced many other Armenian churches. It features innovations, namely trapezoidal niches and conical squinches, containing their first dated examples, and the only example in Armenia of turrets at the base of the drum serving as anchors and buttresses. The two inscriptions left by Komitas constitute the second-earliest extant Armenian-language inscriptions. The church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other nearby churches, including Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia's mother church, in 2000.