Armenian Cathedral of Moscow

In the pre-Soviet period, Moscow had three Armenian Apostolic churches—two of which, built in the 18th century, were demolished by the Soviet authorities by the 1930s. The church was conceived in 1996. Various individuals contributed to the construction, including wealthy Russian-Armenian businessmen such as Samvel Karapetyan and Ruben Vardanyan. In attendance were Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, dozens of Armenian bishops from Armenia and the diaspora, ==Complex==

The cathedral is a part of a larger complex that covers an area of . Besides the cathedral, it includes the chapel of the Holy Cross (Surb Khach), an Armenian school, the headquarters of the diocese of Russia and Nor Nakhijevan, an underground museum and exhibition hall and several monuments, and a parking lot for 200-300 cars. ==Architecture==

The church complex and the cathedral were designed by Artak Ghulyan, The diameter of the dome is . The church has a capacity of between 1,000 to 1,200 people. While as many as 2,400 people can fit inside the complex. The exterior of the cathedral is richly decorated with extensive bas-reliefs of Armenian (Mesrop Mashtots, Saint Sarkis, Gregory the Illuminator, Gregory of Narek, etc.) and non-Armenian (Saint George, etc.) saints and crosses. ==Gallery==

File:Monastery complex of Armenian Apostolic Church in Moscow.JPG File:Aerial view of the Armenian cathedral in Moscow.jpg|Aerial view File:Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Moscow, ArmAg (1).jpg File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Jesus.jpg|A relief of Jesus Christ at the top of the main entrance File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Gregory, Trdat.jpg|A relief depicting Gregory the Illuminator and Tiridates III File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Hripsime.jpg|A relief of Hripsime File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Mesrop.jpg|A relief of Mesrop Mashtots File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Vardan Mamikonian.jpg|A relief of Vardan Mamikonian File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Yeghishe.jpg|A relief of Yeghishe File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Narekatsi, Shnorhali.jpg|A relief of Gregory of Narek and Nerses Shnorhali File:Moscow Armenian cathedral Tatevatsi.jpg|A relief of Grigor Tatevatsi ==See also==