St Gregory the Illuminator

St Gregory the Illuminator is a 19th-century church in the Dzor district of Gyumri, built between 1870 and 1880 with funds raised by local residents. People in the surrounding area worked the land and kept livestock, and came to call the church Geghtsonts Zham — a local name tied to that farming life rather than a formal title.

The church originally had a three-nave, central-dome plan and a small bell tower. Soviet authorities removed the dome and used the building as a storage depot. The 1988 Spitak earthquake damaged the structure badly without bringing it down; reinforcements added afterward kept it standing, though it was never repaired.

In 2003 the church collapsed on its own. Only the gavit — the entrance hall used for services — remains standing. People still visit to light candles.

The church stands in the Dzor district of Gyumri, Shirak region, about 89 km northwest of Yerevan in a straight line.