[mn]medianet

http://www.florence-expo.com/show/project.asp?idut=402 Echmiadzin is one of the ancient cities of Armenia. In 301 it became the center of Christian Armenia. The first Armenian church - St.Echmiadzin Cathedral, which was founded by Grigor Illuminator, the first Armenian Catholicos, was built here. Throughout centuries Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin was the spiritual and cultural center of all Armenians of the entire world. The official residence of Catholicos of All Armenians is also located here. At present Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin occupies territory with a total area of 34,5 hectares. The territory of Holy Etchmiadzin is separated and do not compose a single whole. Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin always owned significant territories, particularly the city of Vagharshapat and number of neighboring villages. During Soviet rule lost almost all territories were taken from Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, most part of which are now lost forever. Currently the monastery is included in the infrastructure of city and it is the integral part of the center of Vagharshapat city. From the North-East it borders with the administrative center of the city, from the South-West private houses. A military base is bordering with the monastery on its West side, which is located directly behind the wall of monastery. Currently Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is in the process of vast development. Its functions are: o Spiritual center of all Armenians o Residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians o Training center o Center of the pilgrims o Museum and historical center o Tourist center. Taking into account the above points, it becomes clear that the functioning of the the monastery is very complicated and multisided. Since throughout many centuries it was developed spontaneously without any specific plan, the territory of the complex now has quite stressed situation. Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin includes about forty monuments and constructions, which are under UNESCO protection and are listed in the world cultural heritage. Many of the constructions are in poor technical condition, and there are also such, which have lost their functional designation and have become unimportant at present. Many buildings require reorganization and reconsideration. Within the framework the diploma work all buildings in the territory of monastery were studied and described, their technical maps were comprised.