Etchmiadzin

Located 10 km west of the capital Yerevan, Etchmiadzin is the seat of the Supreme Patriarch, Catholicos of all Armenians, analogous to the Pope for Catholics.
On the site of the ancient city during the 6th century BC, Vardgesavan, King Vagharsh I (117-140) built the fortress of Vagharshapat. In 301, following a vision of Saint Gregory the Illuminator: Christ marking with a golden hammer the place where Christianity, the new state religion, should be practised, a cathedral was built. Alternately destroyed by successive invasions (it was also a pagan temple in 364 under Persian domination) and then rebuilt, nothing of the original building remains today. The structure visible today dates from the 17th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The whole of this little State small state comprises a cathedral, three churches, the Palace of the Catholicos, the monastery, a museum and a library. It forms an independent and organised community. Among other things, there is a candle factory and a printing works.
Etchmiadzin is the spiritual center of all Armenians of the Diaspora and Armenia, and has the same role as the Vatican for Catholics.