The Gevorgian Theological Seminary in Etchmiadzin

In the second half of the 19th century the Armenian Apostolic Church and the cultural elite recognised the need for a systematic education of the clergy. On the initiative of Catholicos Gevorg IV, the Gevorgian Theological Seminary, the main educational institution of the Armenian Church, was founded at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. It trained priests, teachers and theologians.

The seminary taught theology, the history of the Armenian Church, Armenian, philosophy and logic, at different times also Latin, Greek and Russian, as well as music and church singing. The seminary still operates today.

The photograph shows a two-storey building with arched windows and a large dome in the centre. Many people, mostly young men in dark clothing, stand in front of the building.