Before Christianity, Armenians did not have what they had after Christianity: culture, architecture, art, science, education... and all this was gained by our people only and only through Christianity. The Armenian Apostolic Church (also called the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, the Armenian Church) is one of the oldest Christian national churches in the world, belonging to the group of Eastern Orthodox non-Chalcedonian churches.

The spiritual leader is the Catholicos of All Armenians, whose main residence is the Holy Etchmiadzin Monastery located in the city of Vagharshapat, Armavir region of Armenia.

The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church is one complete union, it has four canonical chairs or centers: the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. The Mother See of the Holy Etchmiadzin Catholicosate, which is known as the Catholicosate of All Armenians, is the head of the general diocese. In relation to the other three chairs, it is most honourable and Mother See. In addition to these four canonical chairs, in several countries of the world there are church structures, which are called dioceses, and they have their own diocesan leaders. Most of the dioceses, such as in the USA, France, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and elsewhere operate under the spiritual authority of the Catholicosate of All Armenians. The Armenian dioceses of Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria and Iran are under the auspices of the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia (seat Antelias).

The Catholicos of All Armenians acts as the successor and heir of Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew and Gregory the Illuminator. There are few preserved historical sources about the early history of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church (Agatanghegos, M. Khorenatsi, some Assyrian, Greek sources). The Armenian Church is called Apostolic, because the first preachers of Christianity in Armenia were the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew among the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, who are called the first enlighteners of Armenia.

According to some sources, the apostle Thaddeus preached Christianity in Armenia during the reign of King Sanatruk, converting many Armenians (Voskyank and Sukiasyank) and even Princess Sandukht. As a result of the persecutions started against Christians by the order of Sanatruk about 66 AD Virgin Sandukht and Apostle Thaddeus were martyred in Artaz province.

Apostle Bartholomew came to Armenia with eight Persian followers in the 29th year of Sanatruk's reign and according to tradition met Apostle Thaddeus in Artashat. Having preached first in Goghtn, then in the central regions of Armenia, Bartholomew founded the Hogots Monastery in Andzevatsik province, where he placed the image of the Mother of God he had brought with him from Jerusalem. Bartholomew's preaching along with different classes of people reached to royal court, making the king's sister, Oguhi, and Terentios captain, as the followers of Christ, who were also martyred by the order of Sanatruk. In 68 AD, the apostle Bartholomew was also killed by the order of the king.

Christianity gradually began to spread in Armenia from the apostolic times until the end of the 3rd century. Not only the preaching of Christ's apostles, but also a number of useful factors created were great contributing forces for that. In the first century, Christianity was widely spread in Armenia's neighboring Cappadocia (which included Lesser Armenia), Osroene and Adiabene, for which the existing commercial and cultural connection created suitable conditions for the penetration of Christianity.

The existence of Jewish communities in Tigranakert, Artashat, Vagharshapat and Zarehavan was also a contributing factor, the first preachers of Christianity started their activity from those communities. According to some historical information, after the apostolic preaching, several episcopal sees (Goghtn, Artaz or Ashtishat) were founded in Armenia, which had episcopal leaders.

Already in 301, during the reign of the Armenian king Tiridates III the Great (287-330 AD) and with the efforts of Gregory I Partev the Illuminator (302-326 AD), Christianity was declared the state religion in Armenia. That date is considered the official founding date of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.

The history of the state proclamation of Christianity and the history of the Armenian Church is testified by the 5th century historians Agathanghegos and partly by Movses Khorenatsi and Pavstos Buzand. According to historians, Suren Partev, who was later named Gregory the Illuminator, was the son of Anak Partev, who killed conspiratorially Tiridates the Great's father King Khosrov. In 287, when Tiridates, accompanied by Roman troops, came to Armenia to return his father's throne, young Gregory joined him, becoming the king's loyal comrade-in-arms. After the victory against Persia, however, King Tiridates offers Gregory to make an offering to goddes Anahit. Gregory, who received a Christian education in Caesarea, refuses to sacrifice to the idol, for which the king orders to subject him to 12 types of torture. Having also learned that Gregory is the son of Anak, who killed King Khosrow, Tiridates orders to throw him into Artashat dungeon (Khor Virap), where Gregory miraculously lives for 13-14 years. After imprisoning Gregory, Tiridates the Great issues a proclamation calling on his subjects to adhere to the pagan religion and imposes the death penalty on Christians. The cause of Tiridates disease was the murder of 33 virgins who escaped from the hands of the Roman Emperor Diocletian and especially the murder of Hripsime who was the most beautiful of them. The latter was stoned to death for refusing the offer of marriage to the king.

Soon Tiridates sister, Khosrovadukht, seas a dream that Gregory, who is in the dungeon, can heal the king and they take him out of the dungeon and bring him to Vagharshapat. The royal court welcomes Gregory with great honor. The latter first buries the remains of the martyred virgins, then establishes a 5-day fast (Preliminary Fast) and heals the king with prayer. Then Gregory preaches the Old and New Testament to the royal court and the people for 66 days and on the last day of the preaching, he is shown in a vision the place of construction of the Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral.

Then Gregory travels around the Armenian with the cooperation of Tiridates, preaches Christianity, destroys pagan monuments and builds new Christian ones in their place. Later, Tiridates the Great, by the decision of the Council of Elders, sends Gregory the Illuminator to Caesarea to be ordained a bishop. After returning from Caesarea, the newly elected Catholicos baptizes the King Tiridates and the royal court in the Aratsani River and then, together with Tiridates III the Great, begins the construction of the Mother Cathedral of Etchmiadzin. With the proclamation of Tiridates III the Great, Christianity was declared the state religion of Greater Armenia.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the first official church built in the 4th century. First Catholicos Gregory the Illuminator seas a dream that Christ descends from heaven with a fiery hammer in his hand and shows the place of building the temple. In 303 at the same place, where an ancient pagan temple was built at that time, it was founded the church named Etchmiadzin.

The Lance of Christ (Lance of Longinus), with which the Roman warrior Longinus pierced Jesus Christ, is kept in the treasury of Etchmiadzin Cathedral. Since 2000, the temple has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Armenians were persecuted and conquered for centuries especially because of Christianit.y And due to Christianity, the country was not assimilated, but was preserved and advanced. Everywhere in Armenia one can see the Christian breath, the unbreakable spirit of the nation, that can be seen in the records of history, in the architectural cross-stones, which are recently considered to be special hieroglyphs, in the national cuisine, which is passed down from generation to generation and is not afraid of changes. Everywhere you can see the Armenian heart devoted to its religion.