Saint Paul and Peter Church, Yerevan

Saint Paul and Peter Church Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի
Saint Paul and Peter Church
Shown within Armenia
Basic information
Location	Corner Astafyan (Abovyan) and Bzhshkakan (Tumanyan) streets Kentron District, Yerevan, Armenia
Geographic coordinates	40°10′54″N 44°31′03″E / 40.181744°N 44.517383°E / 40.181744; 44.517383Coordinates: 40°10′54″N 44°31′03″E / 40.181744°N 44.517383°E / 40.181744; 44.517383
Affiliation	Armenian Apostolic Church
Country	Armenia
Status	destroyed in 1930
Architectural description
Architectural type	Late medieval single-nave basilica with no dome
Architectural style	Armenian
Completed	5th-6th centuries; Rebuilt late 17th century

Saint Paul and Peter Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Պողոս-Պետրոս Եկեղեցի; Surp Poghos-Petros yekeghetsi) was an Armenian Apostolic church in Yerevan, Armenia originally built during the 5th-6th centuries. It was demolished in November 1930 to make room for the Moscow Cinema on Abovyan Street.

According to Armenian historian Karo Ghafadaryan, the church of Saint Peter and Paul was the oldest and biggest church in old Yerevan. It was not the only church in old Yerevan. In fact, when in 607 AD the newly elected Catholicos of Armenia Abraham I assembled a meeting at the city of Dvin, he invited clergymen from territories controlled by the Byzantine Empire as well as two priests from Yerevan. Therefore, this tells us that in old Yerevan there were at least two large churches. In the 17th century, French traveler Jean Chardin visited Yerevan. In his description about the city he mentioned that there were numerous churches in old Yerevan, but did not mention a church with the name of "Surp Poghos-Petros".

In 1679, a calamitous earthquake leveled much of the city and destroyed many structures in the neighboring regions. Amongst the structures that lay in ruin was the church of Saint Peter and Paul. A portion of the eastern section of the church survived, and the rest was soon rebuilt from its ruins. The newly reconstructed church went by the same name as its predecessor.

There are not any known historical references to the rebuilding of Poghos-Petros Church. Most likely, the church was reconstructed toward the end of the 17th century. Ghafadaryan found the years 1691 and 1692 inscribed upon some of the khachkars built into the church's eastern and northern walls. From two inscriptions Karo Ghafadaryan found that further restoration efforts had taken place again in later years. The first inscription, located upon the arch of the southern façade, tells that the church was restored in 1778. In the second inscription, inscribed onto the northern wall, states that the church was restored in 1820 with the financial assistance of the city's residents.