Gregory the Illuminator was the founder and first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Zoroastrianism had been the previous religion. Our guide tells us there were geo-political reasons for the conversion.
The conversion happened in 301.
However before that, Gregory had refused to give up his Christian beliefs and the King had him imprisoned in a deep hole. He was there for 14 years, and survived, presumably with some local help. After that, he was able to convert the King to Christianity in 301 - and, as they say, the rest is history.
Several centuries later, Khor Virap (meaning "deep dungeon") has been built on top of the supposed pit. Who can argue?
Khor Virap
Detail on the tower
Inside the church
And, the pit.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.