St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral ( hy, Սուրբ Վարդան Մայր Տաճար) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

is the first

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

of the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

to be constructed in North America. It is located in

on the corner of Second Avenue and Thirty-fourth street and was built to resemble the

Saint Hripsime Church Saint Hripsime Church ( hy, Սուրբ Հռիփսիմե եկեղեցի, ''Surb Hřip’simē yekeghetsi''; sometimes ''Hripsimeh'') is a seventh century Armenian Apostolic church in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), Armenia. It is one of t ...

in Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat). St. Vartan's was consecrated on April 28, 1968, by

Vazgen I Vazgen I also Vazken I of Bucharest, (), born Levon Garabed Baljian ( hy, Լևոն Կարապետ Աբրահամի Պալճյան; September 20, 1908 – August 18, 1994) was the Catholicos of All Armenians between 1955 and 1994, for a total of 3 ...

Catholicos of Armenia and of All Armenians The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arme ...

Architecture

Walker O. Cain Walker O. Cain , FAIA, FAAR, NA (April 14, 1915 – June 1, 1993) was a prize-winning American architect. Biography Early life and education Cain was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Oscar C. Cain (1877-1954), a postal clerk for the rai ...

, of the firm Steinman, Cain & White – successor firm to

McKim, Mead and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), ...

– with Edward Utudjian of Paris as a consultant, designed the cathedral. The building includes two unique features distinct to

Armenian architecture Armenian architecture comprises architectural works with an aesthetic or historical connection to the Armenian people. It is difficult to situate this architectural style within precise geographical or chronological limits, but many of its monume ...

: the use of double-intersecting arches and a pyramidal dome soaring 120 feet above street level. Around the dome there are various symbols, including the figure of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

; the Holy Spirit represented by a dove; the

Greek letters The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...

alpha and omega superimposed on the scriptures; wheat and grapes representing the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

; and the

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

symbolizing resurrection etc. A series of high, narrow, stained-glass windows are set into the main walls of the cathedral below the dome depicting scenes in the life of Christ and early Christianity in Armenia. The

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the cathedral, St. Vartan, is depicted fighting the

Sassanid Persia The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

ns who threatened the Armenian Church during the fifth century. Ecumenism is symbolized in the portrait of St. Nerses and the crosses of

Christendom Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...

References

External links

St. Vartan Cathedral page
at Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America website {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Vartan Cathedral 20th-century Oriental Orthodox church buildings 34th Street (Manhattan) Armenian Apostolic cathedrals in the United States Armenian-American culture in New York City Cathedrals in New York City Churches completed in 1963 Churches in Manhattan Kips Bay, Manhattan Second Avenue (Manhattan)