Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
General view of the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator
Basic information
Location	Tigran Mets Avenue, Kentron, Yerevan, Armenia
Geographic coordinates	40°10′19″N 44°31′01″E / 40.172003°N 44.516836°E / 40.172003; 44.516836Coordinates: 40°10′19″N 44°31′01″E / 40.172003°N 44.516836°E / 40.172003; 44.516836
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Year consecrated	September 23, 2001
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Leadership	Catholicos of All Armenians
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Stepan Kurkchyan
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Armenian architecture
Groundbreaking	1997
Completed	2001
Specifications
Capacity	1700
Height (max)	54 m (177 ft)

The Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral (Armenian: Սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսավորիչ մայր եկեղեցի, Surb Grigor Lusavorich mayr yekeghetsi), also known as the Cathedral of Yerevan is currently the largest cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the world, effectively making it the current largest Armenian cathedral. It is located in the Kentron District (Central District) of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and considered to be one of the largest religious buildings in the South Caucasus along with the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (known as the Sameba Cathedral). Adjacent to the General Andranik metro station, it's visible from the numerous corners of Yerevan.

The cathedral was constructed by the initiative of Catholicos Vazgen I. Its construction started on April 7th, 1997 with a ground blessing service conducted by Catholicos Karekin I. The church complex was designed by the architect Stepan Kurkchyan and the construction was completed in 2001.

The consecration of the cathedral took place on September 23rd, 2001, on occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a state religion of Armenia The cathedral houses the relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator and the Holy Remains of St. Gregory that were brought from Naples, Italy. Shortly after the consecration of the cathedral, Pope John Paul II paid a visit to the cathedral.