The Church of St. Hripsimé

Sunday, September 3
(blog written while in Armenia)

The Church of St. Hripsimé
Our Sunday morning started out with a wonderful buffet breakfast and (thankfully) good, strong coffee. Today we were going to the Church of St. Hripsimé and then on to Etchmiadzin, which has been the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church since 301 AD.

For those who do not know, Armenia is the oldest Christian nation in the world, embracing Christianity as the national religion in the 4th Century. Because of this, many churches are centuries old. St. Hripsime was no exception – and you could fell the age and history of the building as you stepped inside.

You can see pictures from St. Hripsimé below. It was a small church with a lovely alter and a small tomb for a young woman. A virgin, she was sought after by the King of Armenia. However, she was Christian and he was pagan. She refused his requests for marriage and was killed. She was buried here and honored by the church for her faith and devotion.

The tomb of St. Hripsimé

Another tomb at the Church of Hripsimé

Dr. Bob Edgar, Dr. Ken Benson and Rev. Rick Beech