Zoravor Church
17th-century church in a quiet courtyard
- Area Yerevan
- Type Religious site
- Time needed 20m
Zoravor Surb Astvatsatsin is a seventeenth-century church tucked into a residential courtyard off Parpetsi Street, built on the site of a much older chapel and the tomb of a venerated apostle-era figure. It is one of the oldest functioning churches in the city.
Open in the planner →Getting there
About a kilometre from Republic Square, one or two minutes by car and a quarter of an hour on foot.
What you see
The church is low, plain and built of dark stone, with a small chapel over the tomb standing beside the main building. The interior is cramped, candle-lit and still in regular parish use, which gives it an atmosphere the larger modern churches lack. The courtyard holds a few khachkars and gravestones among the surrounding apartment blocks.
What to pair it with
Close to Katoghike Church, Northern Avenue and the Opera, all within a short walk.
When to go
Morning or early evening when services are on and the church is lit by candles. Any season; the interior is small and dim in all weather.
What is hard about it
It is hemmed in by apartment buildings and easy to walk past, and the surrounding courtyard is scruffy. For a visitor who is not specifically interested in Armenian churches it is a twenty-minute stop at most.
Common questions
Is it hard to find?
It is set back from the street inside a residential courtyard, with no prominent signage. Look for the gap between the apartment blocks.
Is it still used for services?
Yes, it is an active parish church, so keep quiet and dress modestly if a service is in progress.
How does it compare with Katoghike?
Katoghike is older but smaller and largely a monument. Zoravor is a working church and the more atmospheric of the two.
Nearby
- Yerevan CascadeGiant limestone stairway with modern sculpture and city views
- MatenadaranRepository of ancient Armenian manuscripts
- Republic SquareYerevan's central square with musical fountains
- Erebuni FortressUrartian citadel from 782 BC, the birthplace of Yerevan
- Armenian Genocide MemorialHilltop memorial and museum to the victims of 1915
- History Museum of ArmeniaNational collection from prehistory to the modern era
More of the same kind
- Blue Mosque18th-century Persian mosque with a tiled courtyard
- St Gregory the Illuminator CathedralLargest cathedral in Armenia, consecrated in 2001
- Katoghike ChurchTiny 13th-century chapel, the oldest in central Yerevan
- Karmravor ChurchTiny 7th-century church with original roof tiles