Christianity was first introduced to Armenia in the first century AD by the apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus. At that time, paganism was widespread and practiced by the kings of Armenia. Temples dotted the country, and a prime example of that era is the Greek-style temple in the village of Garni, which was restored in the 1960s and still stands today.
Pagan practices did not deter Christian missionaries from spreading the word of God to the Armenians. Among them was Gregory, the son of Partev Anak, who was baptized as a Christian in Caesarea, a city in Cappadocia. Gregory was thrown into a pit by the Armenian king Trdat III, where he survived for 13 years, thanks only to the kindness of a woman who secretly fed him.
According to ancient tradition, the proclamation of Christianity as Armenia's state religion is closely linked to the martyrdom of the holy virgins, who were on their way from Rome to Vagarshapat. King Trdat fell in love with a Christian nun named Hripsime. When she refused the king's proposal of marriage, he had her and her entire order put to death. Afterward, the king went mad, and it was only after his sister released Gregory from captivity to heal her ailing brother that the king regained his sanity.
King Trdat was baptized by Gregory and converted his entire kingdom to Christianity in 301 AD, making Armenia the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Gregory became known as the Illuminator and was named the first Catholicos, the head of the Armenian Church. After seeing a vision of the descent of the Only Begotten Son, who pointed to a site in present-day Echmiadzin, St. Gregory the Illuminator built the mother cathedral of the Armenian Church. In later years, churches were built near the Echmiadzin Cathedral in honor of the martyred nun Hripsime and the head of her order, Gayane, who were both canonized. The Church of Khor Virap (meaning "Deep Pit") was built at the site of St. Gregory's captivity.
Although it is a distinct church, the Armenian Apostolic Church is in communion with the universal church and is part of the family of churches, including the Coptic, Syrian, Ethiopian, and Indian Malabar churches.
Traditionally, the Armenian Church recognizes the Catholicos of All Armenians as its leader. A National Ecclesiastical Assembly, consisting of both lay and clergy representatives from Armenian communities around the world, elects the Catholicos. There are four hierarchical Sees in the Armenian Church: the Catholicate of All Armenians in Echmiadzin, the Catholicate of the Great House of Cilicia, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Small Roman Catholic and Protestant communities also exist in Armenia, as well as a Russian Orthodox community that serves its congregation.
