Since born in the greater area of Syria-Palestine, Christianity spread rapidly to neighboring areas despite being oppressed violently by the Roman Empire that ruled the Middle East. It was by the Edict of Milan of 313 A.D. that the Empire approved it officially, and it was in 350 that Theodosius I set it as the state religion. But it was the Kingdom of Armenia in the north of the Middle East that embrace it in 301 A.D. in the first place, half a century previously than Rome.

As St. Gregory (of Armenia) established the Armenian Orthodox Church, it is also called Gregorian sect in the Eastern Church. According to tradition, Gregory preaching in Armenia after returning from long term study in Cappadocia was confined in a dungeon in the fortress at Artashat (now Khor Virap) by the king Tiridates (Trdat) III.

About that time a beautiful nun Hripsime was pursued with desire by a Roman Emperor. She refused him and fled with her nurse (or abbess) Gayaneh to Armenia, where this time she was pursued by an Armenian king. As she refused him too, she and Gayaneh were murdered by subordinates of the king in the Armenian capital Vagharshapat.

Due to this sin the king fell into an odd irremediable disease. So he accepted the advise of his sister who had already converted to Christianity to release Gregory who had been in prison for 15 years. When the king was cured miraculously by Gregory's powers he repented of his past and adopted Christianity as the state religion.

Gregory assumed office as Catholicos (the head of the Armenian Church). He was called "Lusavoritch" (the Illuminator) and constructed many churches in Vagharshapat as well as other regions in Armenia.

Divisional Map of Armenia based on Provinces

Owing to its landlocked location, a small country Armenia situated in Transcaucasia (Zakavkaze in Russ.) was invaded incessantly, ruined, ruled by heathen, even subjected to genocide, and scattered as diasporas.

Due to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. Armenia became independent as a republic although it had once been a land of about ten times the extent they have today referred to the Greater Armenia. For the restoration of its land after independence and following a war with Azerbaijan, successful Armenians living in Diaspora gave helping hands conversely.

Differed from the Jews to whom Armenians have been compared by their similar historical circumstances, it is the field of architecture that Armenians have achieved highest artistically. If neighboring Georgians are the pictorial nation, Armenians are the architectural nation. Church architecture in Armenia developed greatly as early as 7th century in a different style from Byzantine and acquired almost the same aesthetics and characters as Romanesque architecture by a few centuries earlier than in Europe.

In recent Japan increasing people have found the beauty and charm of Romanesque architecture in the 11th-12th centuries in various parts of Europe. Figuratively speaking as classical music, differed from powerful Beethoven as Gothic architecture (13th-14th centuries) and sprightly Mozart as Renaissance and Baroque architecture (15th-17th centuries), far more internal Bach's work is Romanesque architecture.
By its firm external appearance like sort of mass of stone and twilight interior space like sort of cave, Romanesque architecture is rather plain and lacks gaiety at first sight, but gives us a deep spiritual contentment conversely. Armenian architecture as one of its origins has the same characteristics. It will surely take hold of the hearts of the Japanese. 　　 ( 14/10/2008 )