ETCHMIADZIN, Edchmiadzin, or Itsmiadsin, a town and monastery in the Russian government of Erivan, famous as the seat of the Catholicus or pinnate of the Armenian church. It is situated in the plain of the Aras or Araxes, about 2985 feet above the sea, 12 miles W. of Erivan and 30 N. of Mount Ararat. The monastery comprises a pretty extensive complex of buildings, and is surrounded by brick walls 30 feet high, which, with their loopholes and towers, present the appearance of a fortress. Its architectural character has been considerably impaired by additions and alterations in the modern Russian style. On the western side of the quadrangle is the residence of the primate, on the south the refectory, built by the Catholicus Abraham (1730- 1735), on the east the lodgings for the monks, and on the north the cells. The cathedral is a small but fine cruciform building with a Byzantine cupola at the intersection, a large tower at the western end, and a smaller tower above each wing of the transepts. Of special interest is the porch, built of red porphyry, and profusely adorned with sculptured designs somewhat similar to those of Gothic architecture. The interior of the church is decorated with Persian frescoes of flowers, birds, and scroll work. It is here that the Catholicus confers episcopal consecration by the sacred hand of St Gregory; and here every seven years he prepares with great solemnity the holy oil which is to be used throughout the churches of the Armenian communion. Of the numerous relics.the chief are the head of the spear which pierced the Saviour’s side, a piece of Noah’s ark, presented by an angel to St James of Nisibis, and a piece of the true cross. Outside of the main entrance are the alabaster tombs of the primates Alexander I. (1714), Alexander II. ...(1755), Daniel (1806), and Narses (1857), and in hospitable contiguity a white marble monument erected by the East India Company to mark the resting-place of Sir John Macdonald, who died at Tabriz in 1830, while on an embassy to the Persian court. The library of the monastery is said at one time to have contained 15,000 volumes, andin spite of depredation and neglect, it still remains a rich storehouse of Armenian literature. Brosset’s Catalogue de la Bibliothèque T Etchmiadzin, St Petersburg, 1840, contained only 635 numbers, but the new list drawn up by the monks (a copy of which was presented by Major Cunnyngham to the Oriental Library at Cambridge) mentions 2500 volumes, many of great size. Among the more remarkable manuscripts are a copy of the gospels in a massive binding of carved ivory dating from the 10th or 11th century, and three bibles of the 13th century, one of which had belonged to Aytoun II., king of Armenia. A type-foundry, a printingpress, and a bookbinding establishment are maintained by the monks, who publish a weekly Armenian newspaper called The Ararat, and supply religious and educationa. works for their co-religionists. The number of inmates in the monastery varies considerably. In 1834, according to Dubois, there were 50 monks and 13 bishops and archbishops; and in 1872, according to Telfer, there were 5 bishops and archbishops, 20 monks, and 25 novices. The revenue, estimated at £10,000, is derived from the conventual domains, which, though much less extensive than they once were, still comprise, not only a number of estates, but five villages presented or rather restored by' the Russian en.peror. The Catholicus has an annual income of 10,000 rubles. To the east of the monastery is a college and seminary of modern erection. At the distance of about half a mile stand the churches of St Rhipsime and St Gaiana, two of the early martyrs of Armenian Christianity; the latter is of special interest as the burialplace of all those primates who are not deemed worthy by the synod of interment besidethecathedral. From adistance the three churches forma fairly striking group, and accordingly the Turkish name for Etchmiadzin is simply Utch-Kilissi, or the Three Churches. A fourth of less importance is ignored. The town of Etchmiadzin, oras itshouldbecalled Vagharshapat, contains about 8000 inhabitants, but has long ceased to be of any individual importance. According to Armenian historians it dates from the 6th century n.c., and takes its name from King Vagarsh, who in the 2d century a.d. chose it as his residence and surrounded it with walls. The great apostle of Armenia, St Gregory the Illuminator, having seen the Saviour descend in a flood of light in the neighbourhood of the palace, was ordered by an angel to erect a church on the spot. He obeyed the divine command in 309, and gave the building the commemorative name of Edch-Miadzin, or Descended the Only Begotten. In 344 Vagharshapat ceased to be the Armenian capital, and in the 5th century the patriarchal seat was removed to Tovin. The monastery was founded by Narses IL, who ruled from 524-33; and a restoration was effected by Gomidas in 618. At length in 1441 the primate George or Kevork brought back the see to the original site, and from that day to the present time Etchmiadzin has been the centre of the Armenian church. In the Russo-Persian war of 1827, though the monastery was declared neutral territory by both belligerents, it was occupied by Russian troops.
See Dubois du Montpéreux, Voyage autour élu Caucase, vol. iii., 1839; Viscount Pollington, Half Round the Old World, 1867; S. C. Malan, St Gregory the Illuminator; Thielman, Journey in the Caucasus, &c., 1875; Telfer, The Crimea and Transcaucasia, 1876.
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