I kissed the Catholicos's cross

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Geo: 40.1596, 44.509

Short report today 'cos I have to pack and get ready to leave in the morning. Staying in Goris tomorrow night then a guest house in Dillijan for two nights, wifi might not be available.
Today was four churches and a Greco-roman temple, the only one in the Caucusus apparently.
It is the age of some of these places that is astonishing, one church - St Hripsime' - was built in 618 over the saints mausoleum which had been built in 395. She was a nun who fled Rome to escape persecution (before Rome became Christian) and arrived in Armenia only to be killed by King Tradt III, because he wanted her to marry him and she wouldn't, that must have been 2nd century.

, chanced on a service today at the cathedral in Ejmiatsin (think the Vatican and St Peters) led by the Catholicos (think Pope) I got to be right at the front as his procession went by, which meant I had to kiss his cross carried by an acolyte.
Hopefully some pics to illustrate some of this.

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