I woke up really worn out today, considering I had such a great night sleep. Maybe it was the single glass of wine last night (the first in 2 months) or the meat (first significant intake after 3 weeks in India).
I couldn’t face going to Dilijan by public transport (which would take some 3h each way). I enquired about doing a tour with the hostel but it already had a waiting list.
After some mulling I decided my best option would be to go to the Holy See of Echmiadzin, which is like the Vatican for the Armenian Apostolic Church. This involved a bus to the bus station plus another bus to Echmiadzin.
The grounds to the Holy See didn’t look that great at first sight but it got better as we were more in the central area. There were cool shaded areas which proved restful towards the end of our stay.
We found the mother church; it was beautiful but not very big unlike its Roman Catholic counterpart. Inside the mother church was the treasury where the spear (which poked Jesus while on the crucifix) was kept. There was also a piece of from Noah’s Ark (fossilised wood encased in a frame).
The other edifice of interest was the outdoor altar built for the Pope’s visit; it had a stylised relief of the Pope and the Catholicos in an ecumenical pose.
Despite the rather uneventful outing, it was about 1400 by the time I reached central Yerevan. After lunch, I moved rooms in the hostel (to another private room but without ensuite). I felt ready for a half-day of rest.
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- Mother Cathedral of Holy Echmiadzin.
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- Interior of the cathedral.
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- This is the lance that was jabbed into Jesus while on the crucifix. The cross holes were put in later.
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- A piece of Noah’s Ark.
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- Around the Holy See.
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- Around the Holy See.
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- Yerevan in the summer evening comes alive in the Opera area with garden cafes.
